Philippine political leader visits Hawai'i
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Expanding absentee voting rights, making peace with kidnapping bandits and bringing the nation's communists into the mainstream are among the goals of Jose de Venecia, the Philippines' recently selected speaker of the House.
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
His first priority for the troubled nation, relieved earlier this year from yet another political leader accused of using the nation's meager treasury to fill his pockets, is even more mind-boggling than the others: de Venecia wants to reform the Philippine economy.
Jose de Venecia said he supports an absentee voting reform.
In a country where most of the population lives beneath the poverty level, that will be no small task.
De Venecia visited Hawai'i over the weekend to meet with financial leaders he hopes will help him attract foreign investors.
Next week, political leaders will continue peace negotiations with two Islamic political organizations that have ties to the Abu Sayyaf, a bandit group that has been kidnapping wealthy tourists for ransom.
De Venecia says he anticipates agreements that will leave the groups without the political and financial backing necessary to continue their operations.
He also hopes to ease tensions with the communist New People's Army, a group that is beginning to gain seats in Congress, he said.
Increasing the size and power of the Philippine middle class is essential to stabilizing the country, he said. Because most middle class Filipinos are living in the United States and other countries, de Venecia said he plans to support allowing those citizens to vote by absentee ballot.
He said he also intends to look into the constitutionality of granting dual citizenship to Filipinos who have become citizens of other nations and allowing them to vote.
De Venecia's highest-profile campaign was a run for the presidency in 1998. Joseph Estrada, a popular actor, won, as did de Venecia's, vice presidential running mate Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who became president when Estrada was ousted.
