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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Impeach raps v. Arroyo endorsed to House body
MANILA -- House Speaker Jose de Venecia on Tuesday referred to the House committee on justice the six impeachment complaints filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The sixth impeachment complaint against the President was formally filed at the office of the secretary general of the House by members of party-list Citizens Battle Against Corruption (Cibac) and Bangon Pilipinas of evangelist Eddie Villanueva.
De Venecia, in a short statement from the rostrum when he presided Tuesday's session, dispelled allegations that the House leadership was dragging its feet in taking action on the series of complaints filed between June 25 and July 26.
"Let it not be said that the Speaker of the House did not transmit one day after the opening of Congress the six impeachment complaints against the President of the Republic," he said.
"Let it not be said, as some of the newspapers have said, that the Speaker is sitting on the complaints although the Philippine Constitution is giving 10 session days, not calendar days, within which to transmit the complaints to the committee on justice," the Speaker said.
He also informed the House that by referring all the six complaints, he had already done his Constitutional duty.
With the referral of the six complaints, the justice committee led by Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong has 60 session days to hear the complaints and decide whether they are sufficient in form and substance.
The sixth complaint, which was the same as the first five complaints, was signed by 1,092 complainants. It accused the President of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. Cibac party-list Representative Joel Villanueva endorsed the complaint.
Villanueva said they filed a series of complaints against the President to plug all the critical dates, which might be used by the President's allies in the House to raise technicality using the one-year bar rule argument.
He added that they filed another complaint to remind the Arroyo government of transparency, accountability, and responsibility.
Another one is expected to be filed Wednesday by a group of lawyers and leaders and members of the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan Muna).
Newspaper columnist and Political Science Professor Randy David proceeded to the secretary general's office to affix his signature as co-complainant of Catholic Bishop Deogracias Iniguez in the third impeachment complaint.
Meanwhile, an organization of active and retired military and police generals distanced itself from the act of a few of its members of endorsing an impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.
Retired Brigadier General Jose Bello, chairman and president of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (Agfo), said the organization is a non-partisan organization and is not involved in any political undertaking by any of its members.
The group is composed of around 700 active and retired generals from the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police (PNP). It includes Lieutenant General Hermogenes Esperon and Deputy Director General Oscar Calderon as ex-officio chairmen, they being the chiefs of the Armed Forces and PNP, respectively.
Reacting on the filing of an impeachment complaint against Arroyo by a number of generals and colonels, Bello said Agfo "is not a partisan organization and, as such, it should not be dragged into any activity that has political color."
A group of officers led by former Marine commandant Ponciano Millena and former Air Force Tactical Operations Wing chief Marciano Ilagan also filed an impeachment complaint against the President.
"Any retired general or flag officer using the name of Agfo for their political and vested interests is reminded to issue a disclaimer by declaring therein that any opinion, sentiment, or any political acts for such purposes are their own and do not necessarily reflect the stand of Agfo," said Bello.
Bello said the Agfo adheres to the law in the resolution of the political conflict. (DBP/VR/Sunnex)
(July 26, 2006 issue)
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