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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Palace vows to keep hands off Abalos impeach raps
MANILA –- Malacañang said it will not interfere with the impeachment case filed against Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., whether in terms of defending Abalos or asking House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. to inhibit from the proceedings.
“We believe that Chairman Abalos can very well defend himself,” Presidential Management Staff director general Cerge Remonde said.
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Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico filed the impeachment case against Abalos last Thursday after former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri admitted in a Senate inquiry that the poll chief bribed him to endorse the US$329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) project.
According to Remonde, the Comelec is an independent and constitutional body while impeachment is a process in Congress, which is a co-equal body of the executive branch of government. “Our policy is not to interfere with the internal affairs of a co-equal and co-responsible branch of the government,” he said.
He said the Palace would just “leave to the moral values of the Speaker” the matter of whether de Venecia Jr. should inhibit himself from the impeachment proceedings because his son Jose “Joey” de Venecia III is a party to the complaint.
“We don’t want to impose upon especially the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whom we respect as a co-equal and co-responsible branch,” he added.
But he said the Palace is confident de Venecia Jr. would keep his post as Speaker based on the calls of certain sectors in the ruling coalition, which wants to keep the majority intact.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, in an interview at the 10th National Executive Course on Internal Security at the National Defense and Safety College in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, said the impeachment case is a numbers game and a party matter but lawmakers should be allowed to decide on their own.
“It’s a matter for our political leaders starting with the House to find out how they look at the situation. Let’s give it to our congressmen, these are responsible people. I’m sure their conscience will guide them properly on how they should act under the present condition regarding this impeachment,” he said.
Ermita said he is confident the impeachment case against Abalos would not derail the preparation and conduct of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on October 29.
He said Abalos already came out with a statement assuring that they are already prepared for the forthcoming elections. (JMR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (September 29, 2007 issue)
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