Gina: I love my country more than my “Kumare Gloria”

By March 2, 2008Headlines, News

SAN FABIAN–Mrs. Gina de Venecia, wife of ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., said she still cares for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but her love for country weighs more than her love for her “kumare”.

Speaking to newsmen after standing as “ninang” to 106 couples married in a mass civil wedding ceremony here on Thursday, Mrs. De Venecia said she feels that her “kumare” betrayed the people’s trust and her oath when she became President of the Philippines”.

The former president of the Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. (CSFI) had already joined the ranks of those seeking the President’s resignation and to let her constitutional successor take over.

Last week, Congressman De Venecia himself demanded President Arroyo’s resignation. He was not present during the mass wedding.

She said that as a friend, she had been advising Mrs. Arroyo to heed calls for transparency and accountability but she didn’t welcome it.

Instead, she heard Mrs. Arroyo often say she is “President” and Gina is but “an ordinary housewife who does not understand.”

De Venecia stood as wedding sponsor to Arroyo’s two sons, Mikey and Dato, now both congressmen, whom she tagged as the ones who spearheaded the ouster of her husband as Speaker of the House in retaliation for the expose of her step-son Jose de Venecia III about the NBN-ZTE deal.

She said she read a news item in a national daily quoting Mikey Arroyo as saying, “Shut up, Ninang”, pointing out that she does not have the right to speak.

Mrs. De Venecia said she has the right to speak like any other Filipinos in this country and told off Mikey.

At the same time, Mrs. De Venecia confirmed that she and her family continue to receive death threats.

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