|
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Group wants Arroyo impeached
MANILA -- A group of opposition politicians Monday asked Congress to impeach President Arroyo for alleged graft and other offenses.
The impeachment call came while Mrs Arroyo declared a non-nonsense people's war against graft and corruption in a speech during the rites marking the People Power II at the EDSA Shrine Edsa.
The petitioners, led by former senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Francisco Tatad, alleged that Arroyo had "committed again and again the very same offenses for which her predecessor (Joseph Estrada) was impeached."
The 18 complainants asked the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against Arroyo, who stepped up from the vice presidency when a bloodless military-backed popular revolt forced Estrada from office exactly two years ago Monday.
Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye declined to comment on the initiative, which accused her of "culpable violation of Constitution, bribery, graft and corrupt practices, and betrayal of the public trust."
Bribe
The group accused Arroyo of "soliciting and accepting gifts" from Mark Jimenez, a House member who was extradited to the United States last month to stand trial for fraud and tax evasion.
They also charged that Arroyo spent P470 million ($8.80 million) for a rural electrification project that was not approved by Congress.
Impeachment initiatives have scant chance of prospering unless congressional allies desert the incumbent in droves, as happened to Estrada in late 2000 when he was impeached for allegedly taking bribes from illegal gambling rackets, as well as other charges.
Impeachment complaints are first addressed and then approved or thrown out by a House committee whose membership mirrors the overall party division of the chamber.
War vs graft,corruption
Highlighting the commemoration of the People Power II, President Arroyo declared a non-nonsense people's war against graft and corruption, as she placed the full resources of government and enjoined the citizenry to get involved in the fight.
"There can be no exceptions whether made out of fear or favor, or because of family and business connections" in stopping graft and corruption that have victimized the people for so long, the President said.
She ordered the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) to receive reports and follow these through until the perpetrators are put behind the bars of justice.
She also announced that she had doubled the budget of the PAGC so that it could put up an investigative unit to undertake intensive lifestyle checks on public officials. This would link the government and the people in the anti-graft thrust.
She ordered the Department of the Budget and Management (DBM) to allot P35 million for the Ombudsman to recruit 50 lawyers for its investigation and prosecution work.
The President asked the Ombudsman to make available to the public the statements of assets and liabilities of all public officials, including presidential advisers, and to "pro-actively observe government procurement involving large amounts."
The President also ordered the DBM to provide P700 million to step up the modernization of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), particularly for its information and communication technology department that had been able to track down tax evaders.
She also ordered the abolition of the bonded trading warehouse system, after crackdowns resulted in the closure of more than 300 customs bonded warehouses that have become notorious for smuggling.
"In due time, you will see more results," she stressed.
She said she launched the anti-corruption campaign "to raise the moral standards in politics and the economy."
"Corruption is the worst enemy of progress and social justice because it robs the state of the resources to prosecute the war against poverty," she added. (Sunnex with reports from the wires) |
|
|
|
 |
| click
to comment on this article or discuss it with other readers |
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
