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Friday, July 22, 2005
More charges against Arroyo
MANILA -- The street rallies may have fizzled out but the battle to remove President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is now in the House of Representatives, as the opposition may include two more in the impeachment complaint against the chief executive.
An impeachment complaint was also filed by a lawyer against Vice President Noli de Castro for allegedly betraying public trust by remaining silent on the alleged election fraud committed by Arroyo in the 2004 elections.
Iloilo Representative Rolex Suplico said Thursday that they are studying the testimonies of the 10 resigned Cabinet members and other new witnesses and perhaps, they could establish at least two more cases aside from the six earlier charges.
He said they have sufficient evidence that the President is liable for "betrayal of public trust, treason, bribery, graft and corruption and culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution" based on her recorded chat with former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano during the canvassing of presidential votes last year.
The opposition was set to file the impeachment complaint but due to the new evidence and testimonies of people who want to help strengthen the case, the filing will be done on Monday, after President Arroyo delivers the State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress.
Opposition legislators said the impeachment complaint against the President will pave the way for the opening of the election returns form last year's race.
"Our evidence will show the need for a recount by going down to the electoral returns to establish she cheated her way to victory," said House Minority Leader Francis Escudero.
Election returns
Escudero said the opposition will focus only on the election returns in 10 to 20 percent of the 217,000 precincts covered by questionable certificates of canvass in 25 provinces.
Escudero said they will call for a recount in Cebu, Iloilo, Pampanga, Bohol, Bulacan, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao and other provinces.
House Deputy Minority Leader Joel Villanueva, for his part, said the opposition would present witnesses who said that some election officials were "coerced" into "wholesale cheating" so that the certificates of canvass appeared clean.
As for Vice President de Castro, lawyer Elly Pamatong filed the impeachment complaint for his failure to attach a community tax certificate to his certificate of candidacy (COC) in last year's polls and to have it sworn before a notary public as required by law.
Tax evasion
Pamatong wants de Castro impeached for betrayal of public trust, constructive mental incapacity and tax evasion.
The tax evasion charge, he said, stems from de Castro's failure to indicate his community tax number in his COC. This, Pamatong said, demonstrated the Vice President's "constructive mental incapacity to either understand or obey the law."
In reaction, de Castro's office said the Vice President welcomed the filing of the complaint "in the spirit of democracy and in adherence to constitutional processes."
Jesse Andres, de Castro's chief of staff, said that while the Vice President wants to take the charges seriously, one cannot ignore the accuser's background.
"Considering his previous practices, one cannot help but dismiss the impeachment charge as another political stunt to attract the public's attention," Andres said.
In last year's presidential race, the Commission on Elections disqualified Pamatong as a nuisance candidate, prompting him to chain himself to the gates of the Comelec building and tearing a copy of the Constitution.
Later, he was arrested somewhere in Laguna in possession of an M-203 grenade launcher, an M-16 rifle and two .45 cal. guns in violation of the prevailing gun ban.
In June 2004, Pamatong confessed to spreading iron spikes along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila that blew out the tires of about 100 vehicles.
De Castro's impeachment complaint is the first to be filed against a vice president of the country.
79 signatures
The House of Representatives will have its hands full with two impeachment complaints to go over.
The opposition congressmen said they can gather more than 79 House members who will endorse the impeachment complaint against the President to the Senate for trial.
Under the rules, the approval of at least 79 House members is needed for the impeachment complaint to be forwarded to the Senate.
San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora said they will publish a copy of the impeachment complaint against the President in major newspapers so that the people would know about the case. (PNA/Manila Standard Today/Sunnex)
(July 22, 2005 issue)
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