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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
House body junks 7 of 8 impeach raps v. Arroyo
MANILA -- On the first day of the House hearing on the impeachment complaints against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her congressmen allies killed seven of the eight cases filed.
The only complaint that survived was the eighth and last complaint filed by the Black and White Movement, as this was the only complaint considered by the House committee on justice to have been "filed seasonably."
The committee, by a vote of 54 to 24, dismissed the first seven complaints filed by various groups and private individuals "since they were filed prematurely or filed within the one-year bar period."
The committee on justice led by Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong convened at 1 p.m. Tuesday and began hearing the impeachment complaints filed against the President, who is accused of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption and other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.
Of the eight complaints filed, the committee will only have to determine the sufficiency in form and substance of the eighth complaint when it resumes hearing at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The lone surviving complaint was the one filed by members of the Black and White Movement and endorsed by Representatives Benigno Aquino III of Tarlac, Nereus Acosta of Bukidnon, Henedina Abad of Batanes, and Manuel Mamba of Cagayan, all members of the Liberal Party.
At the same time, administration congressmen objected to a proposal raised by the minority to consolidate all the impeachment complaints since they are just one and the same.
Majority congressmen refused to consider another proposal of the minority that if they could not consolidate the complaints then the committee should consolidate instead the names of the complainants in the eighth complaint.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, vice chairman of the House justice committee, asked which complaint should be considered for discussion by the committee, pointing to a provision in the Constitution and a Supreme Court (SC) jurisprudence saying only the complaint filed and referred to the committee after the one-year bar rule shall be considered.
"Only one can be considered seasonably filed, how can we consolidate prohibited complaints where they have no legal standing? They are deemed not filed at all," Lagman said.
"In this connection, the first seven complaints for impeachment should be jettisoned as prohibited complaints for having been filed prematurely within the one-year ban," he added.
The one-year bar applies to the first impeachment complaint against the President that was filed and referred to the committee at 4:20 p.m. on July 26 last year. This means that the one-year ban expired at 4:20 p.m. of the 26th of July of this year.
House Minority Leader Francis Escudero hit at the majority bloc when it decided to block the other seven complaints on a mere technicality.
Party-list Representative Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna echoed Escudero's argument, and added that the committee must give the complainants the opportunity to participate in the search for truth.
Representative Mauricio Domogan (Baguio City) responded that there was no effort to block the presentation of evidence by the complainants. However, he added, this should be done in accordance to the rules.
Members of the House whose districts became beneficiaries of the controversial P728 million fertilizer funds and who were asked to inhibit from participating in the proceedings turned a deaf ear to the demand.
Before the committee proceeded with the hearing, Parañaque City Representative Roilo Golez asked that those who benefited from the fertilizer funds should inhibit themselves from voting.
The committee chairman said he cannot do anything if those who received the funds would not want to inhibit themselves.
Opposition Congressman Rodolfo "Ompong" Plaza of Agusan del Sur decided to inhibit from the discussion, having received the funds, but his suggestion that others do the same was not well received.
Lanao del Norte Representative Benasing Macarambon flared up and rose immediately from his chair to confront Plaza when he used the term "involved" instead of "beneficiary" to describe those whose districts benefited from the fund.
Observers were surprised when Macarambon retorted "What do you mean involved?" and hurried toward Plaza.
Cooler heads stopped Macarambon from confronting Plaza. Sulu Representative Hussin Amin, who also felt alluded to by Plaza, said he understood the sentiment of Macarambon.
At Malacañang, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Congressman Datumanong told him the House panel would be able to finish the hearings on the impeachment complaint in six session days.
"They will expedite the deliberations, so that is all I know," Ermita said.
But he was quick to deny that Malacañang is maneuvering the discussions on the impeachment complaint so the matter would be finished quickly.
"It is not my word that it will be done in six session days. It was Datumanong who told me yesterday (Monday). We met here in Malacañang, so that is all I can say," he said.
He said the impeachment complaint is not likely to last long because the opposition does not have the required number of 73 signatories to transmit it to the Senate for trial.
"This impeachment issue is a worn out case, since last year they have been saying that they will again file it. The number of people has dwindled so you need the correct number, which is 73. I don't see how can they file it with that number," he said.
Ermita said Malacañang has a legal team, with election lawyer Romulo Macalintal as spokesman, monitoring developments in the impeachment case.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said: "There is nothing but hot air in the hearings that will die a natural death anyway."
Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman, lashed at lawmakers and their allies for their "callousness to stage the circus" while there are Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) being evacuated from Lebanon and residents fleeing an imminent eruption of Mayon Volcano. (DBP/Sunnex)
(August 9, 2006 issue)
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