Scrambling for the story

Yesterday’s events kept going late into the night. Newsstand attended and has a flurry of reports: the full Hyatt 10 statement; then some notes on variations in their recollections; then the terse response of Sec. Rick Saludo to the Hyatt 10 press conference (which Dinky Soliman insists was a forum). The proceedings at the House were closely covered by Miron in his inimitable style (though, alas, he was in a meeting during the walkout), while Newsboy, who seems to have been at the House, has his own blow-by-blow account and some remarkable eavesdropping tid-bits. He suggests rather than trashing the Lozano complaint on form, it will be trashed on the basis of lack of substance.

PCIJ has the opposition lawmaker’s reactions and that of the opposition legal team (featuring Harry Roque, who I keep thinking of as the kind of lawyer who writes collection letters, as one society person informed me apropos of Roque’s sending her a letter to collect veterinary fees for a dog that died).

Carlos Conde provides, as always, a good summary of events. Jove, who covered the Palace counterattack prior to the walkout, also has a source who sent him impressions on the opposition gathering at Italliani’s in Megamall (asking his Deep Penetration Agent to describe the body language, then the eye language of the oppositionists, Jove’s source said, “malamlam,” or “droopy.”) , while a source told me the administration (or the Kampi part of it, anyway) held an impromptu meeting at Ronnie Puno’s Greenmeadows subdividision home.

As of late last night, I was told the opposition still lacks the necessary signatures, and that contrary, perhaps, to administration expectations, there don’t seem to be plans to bring this to the streets (despite being egged on by militants).

Early morning TV has Dinky Soliman on Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas immediately followed by Sec. Gabby Claudio. She said, he said.

In the blogosphere, there were strong reactions to the events, principally the opposition walk-out. Edwin Lacierda thinks there’s still the chance 79 signatures will be reached, and that if they are, it goes straight to the senate. If those signatures are indeed collected, Rep. Zamora said last night they’d have them verified by the House Secretary-General. What’s verification? Punzi answers the question (and takes a dig at Rep. Lagman’s claim that the Lozano complaint has been “virtually verified”).

Sassy Lawyers has two lengthy entries: one focusing on verification, the other analyzing the walkout, suggesting the game’s lost for lack of properly focusing on the legal strategy rather than hogging the media limelight. JJ Disini characterizes the walkout as one leading to defeat.

Gari is despondent over events. Paeng is furious. Go Figure takes a look at what he says are uninformative statements by politicians on the oil crisis; Pulitika looks at what he calls the “political boom-bust cycle”;

The administration blog as been renamed Rational Sphere.

The punditocracy comments as follows: the Inquirer editorial takes a dim view of the Hyatt 10; Malaya says impeachment is dead; Conrado de Quiros declares “the rule of law” as the catch phrase of those violating the law; Doubts Raised Over Current US Strategy in Iraq is my Arab News column for this week.