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Sunday, May 21, 2006
Surigao lawmaker says impeach bid to fail
By Ben Serrano
BUTUAN CITY -- An administration lawmaker expressed confidence that a fresh attempt by the opposition to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is doomed to fail.
Surigao del Sur Representative Prospero Pichay cautioned House Minority Leader Francis Escudero not to equate the success or failure of their impeachment complaint against the President to a mere numbers game between the administration and the opposition.
Bukidnon First District Representative Nereus Acosta said earlier that the minority lawmakers in Congress are taking no chances in resuming their campaign for impeachment against Arroyo next month.
Acosta said they are fully aware that impeachment is a "numbers game" where negotiations play a crucial role.
However, Pichay claimed that the House majority had thumbed down the complaints filed last year due to lack of merit and substance.
"If they want to be more successful this time, then they should peddle an entirely-new complaint, since those they submitted last year were already rejected resoundingly by the House," Pichay said.
While Escudero said the opposition was also preparing to mobilize its impeachment team as early as this week to ensure the success of their new complaint, Pichay said the members of the majority will also not be caught napping even if the minority would redouble their efforts to oust the President.
"They may be busy at work fabricating their new evidence and cases against the President, but we are also prepared to do our own homework," Pichay said.
Pichay said Escudero's declaration that they would boot out from the minority the lawmakers who would refuse to support their new complaint was also an insult to the members of the House.
He said this is grating especially those opposition members who found the impeachment complaints filed last year wanting in form and substance.
"Last I heard, the House is supposed to be a democratic institution. Rather than resort to arm-twisting, threats and blandishments, the minority should just redouble their efforts to present a credible and compelling impeachment complaint. Otherwise, they will again be doomed to fail," Pichay said.
On the other hand, Acosta said the minority got "burned last time" because some of the legislators played the other side and turned at the last minute.
"They changed their decision based not on principle," he said. (With a report from Stephen Capillas)
(May 21, 2006 issue)
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