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Wednesday, August 03, 2005
House to start Arroyo impeachment hearing next week
* Congressmen agreed to use rules on Estrada impeach raps in impeaching the President
AFTER Congress approved Monday night the rules to be used in the impeachment proceedings against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the House committee on justice may proceed with deliberations on the complaint next week.
The congressmen agreed to use the same rules applied during the impeachment of deposed President Joseph Estrada in 2000 in impeaching President Arroyo for "betrayal of public trust, culpable violations of the 1987 Constitution, direct bribery and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act."
But the administration congressmen said they would not allow the manner then House speaker now Senator Manuel Villar Jr. transmitted Estrada's impeachment complaint to the Senate to be repeated.
During the Estrada impeachment, Villar granted the move of the minority then to terminate all the hearings on the case and the congressmen were also not allowed to explain their votes in the plenary before the complaint was transmitted.
Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong, who chairs the House committee on justice, said they might begin the hearing on the case Tuesday.
Datumanong said under the rules, more signatures could be added to the impeachment complaint during the course of the proceedings until the 79 required signatures is completed for the complaint to be transmitted directly to the Senate for trial.
The House justice committee will determine if the complaints against the President are sufficient in form and in substance and will send its recommendation to the plenary for a vote within 60 days.
If the committee rejects the complaints, Datumanong said the opposition could still override the decision once they are able to collect the 79 required signatures.
House majority floor leader and Davao City Representative Prospero Nograles said although they agreed to the transmittal of the Arroyo impeachment complaint directly to the Senate once the 79 required signatures is completed even if the House justice panel has yet to resolve it, the congressmen should have to explain their votes on the case in a nominal voting.
Nograles said they agreed to the opposition's proposal in order to show to the people that they are not delaying the transmittal of the complaint.
"Now, they (opposition) should gather the 79 required signatures and stop from speculating that we, in the majority bloc, are doing everything so that President Arroyo evades the case," he said.
Opposition stalwart and Taguig-Pateros Representative Allan Peter Cayetano, during the debate, moved for the adoption of the rules that applied during the 11th Congress to govern the impeachment proceedings against President Arroyo.
Congressmen belonging to the majority agreed to Cayetano's proposal.
House deputy speaker and Cebu City Representative Raul del Mar presided the debate.
As of Tuesday afternoon, records from the Office of the House Secretary General show that there were still 42 signatories in the amended impeachment complaint against the President since it was filed last July 25.
The opposition is however confident that it would collect 37 more in two to three weeks time. (JFF)
(August 3, 2005 issue)
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