Councilor: Country’s economy suffers with prolonged impeachment

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

CAGAYAN de Oro councilor Edgar Cabanlas said Tuesday that the country’s economy suffers if the impeachment proceeding is prolonged.

Councilor Edgar Cabanlas said the impeachment proceedings will adversely affect the economy because the attention of Congress is not to solve the economic problems but are spending their attention and time on the trial.

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Cabanlas said the present administration has left the economic concerns unattended.

The prosecution panel has submitted a list of around 100 witnesses and 29 for the defense at the week-old impeachment trial at the Senate Wednesday. Along with the slow-paced presentation of witnesses in a day, Cabanlas foresees poor economy this year.

In 2011, the Philippine economy managed to have 3.7-percent growth of gross domestic product (GDP), which is slow compared to 7.6 percent growth in 2010.

According to experts, “the economic slowdown is due to the Aquino administration’s lack of action, as well as to certain external factors that include the European debt and economic woes, the weak recovery of the US economy, and the supply chain disruptions due to the flooding in Thailand.”

Meanwhile, Cabanlas said the goal to reform the justice system through the impeachment trial should “not focus to one person” but it should be at the whole judiciary.

“If Corona would be replaced by a new chief justice, it would not guarantee a change in judiciary in eliminating graft and corruption. The internal change should include judges, members of judiciary department, prosecutors and the Department of Justice as comprehensive change of character.”