Arangkada Uban Ni Leo Lastimosa: September 07, 2005

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

[Arangkada] Glo Welcomes Impeachment Death

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed today the decision of the House of Representatives throwing out the impeachment complaint against her by a vote of 158-51 with six abstentions, as she extended to the opposition her hand of reconciliation for the good of the nation.

"The Filipino people mark a glorious day in history, when instead of forcing a President out of office through people power, they chose to keep a President through voting in the halls of Constitutional Democracy," she said in a statement.

The nation must now move forward to a brighter tomorrow and put politics behind, she said.

She described the impeachment process and its outcome as a grand display of political maturity and resilience as the country battles the vagaries of a challenging age, and poised for takeoff.

"I thank my allies in the administration for their faith in my leadership and in the good future of our country," she said.

The President pointed out that the "opposition put up a good fight and I now offer my hand of reconciliation for the national interest."

She expressed her gratitude to her family who quietly stood by her through the months of political crisis, and "most of all to the Filipino people, here and in the four corners of this earth, who have stayed the course of responsible democracy."

"Let us move on to a brighter tomorrow with the grace of God, ever grateful for His guidance and His blessings. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas," she said.

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[Arangkada] Dura Lex, Pyrex

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Posted by Sheila Coronel
PCIJ

MR. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege, invoking my right to speak after 23 hours of listening to the members of this Honorable Chamber. Mr. Speaker, today there is blood on the floor of the House. For today, we have witnessed not just the execution of the impeachment complaint but also the massacre of the English tongue.

Mr. Speaker, not since the great Julius Caesar led his army out of Italy in 49 B.C. has the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" been used so often in so short a span of time. We have set a record, Mr. Speaker, not just for having the longest known single congressional session in the history of our beloved land, we have also set the record for the most frequent repetitions of "Dura lex, sed lex" in 24 hours.

It is perhaps for this reason, Mr. Speaker, that the Honorable Gentleman from Bacolod City was inspired to improvise on that great Latin maxim. Mr. Speaker, after undergoing deep reflection and contemplation, I believe that the Good Representative Monico Puentevella has uttered a phrase that will forever be imprinted in the hearts and minds of Filipinos: Dura lex, Pyrex.

I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, that only Filipinos can appreciate the full significance and import, the sense and sensibility, or as the Honorable Gentlewoman from Masbate has so alliteratively put it, the "conspiracy and conundrum" of this profound phrase. I salute the Honorable Gentleman from Bacolod City for the honor he has bestowed on an ancient and hallowed tongue.

Be that as it may, Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that Latin is not an official language of this August Chamber. And yet, Mr. Speaker, how often have the distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of this Honorable House asked the question, "Quo vadis?" I will risk my honor, Mr. Speaker, and also the honor and riches of my children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren, by speaking the unspeakable, by uttering the unutterable truth.

Let us admit it, Mr. Speaker: despite the frequency with which "Quo vadis?" has been asked in this Chamber, no one has answered that question, either in Latin or in any other language known to the honorable men and women of this Hallowed House. It is for this reason, Mr. Speaker, that I posit, I aver, I assert, that after crossing the Rubicon, we are about to plunge into the abyss of uncertainty.

Honorable Speaker, I put the burden of the blame squarely on the shoulders of generations of English teachers and law professors. They have imprisoned us in the words of wise but dead men and women. They have kept us mired in archaic phrases. They have shackled our tongues and entombed our minds. I also blame Hollywood, Mr. Speaker, especially generations of gladiator movies that, no matter their age, the Gentlemen and Gentlewomen of this House have grown up with.

Despite this, Mr. Speaker, I am overjoyed by overwhelming evidence that the members of this August Body read books. Mr. Speaker, I should ask that the proper citations be made to the references in this Honorable Chamber to Humpty Dumpty and the Empress' New Clothes. Otherwise, Mr. Speaker, we will only Dinkyfy and Gloriafy the grand rhetorical tradition of the August House.

I will end, Mr. Speaker, by clarifying that this humble representation is aware that what she has said is merely suppletory to all the grand words that have been spoken in this House today.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me say that the greatest and sweetest words I have heard in this Chamber, are those that you yourself have spoken so frequently and with such eloquence since early this morning. Those memorable words are: "Let me remind the Honorable Gentleman that his three minutes is up."

You have shown us the power of words, Mr. Speaker. Vamos, vamos, vamos.

Arangkada for September 8, 2005

HUBO NGA SUBURNO

Kusganong gipanghimakak sa Malakanyang ang pasangil nga gipanudlo ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang mga paryente sa mga kongresista sa dagkong katungdanan sa gobyerno pila ka adlaw dayon nilang luba sa impeachment proceedings sa Kongreso. Niinsistir ang mga torotot sa presidente nga ang 158 ka mga kongresista nga nibotar pagbasura sa impeachment complaints igo lang naminaw sa ilang konsiyensiya, nitahud sa kagustohan sa mga molupyo sa ilang distrito ug nipatigbabaw sa balaod.

Pero ang Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), sa report ni Vinia Datinguinoo, nibisto sa di malalis nga ebidensiya nga di nasudnong interes ang gilantaw sa mga kongresista. Sa ilang pagsegurong di makaabot ang impeachment sa Senado, diin gikahadlokan sa Palasyo nga ang mayoriya sa mga senador naghinam-hinam na pagbitay sa presidente.

-o0o-

Niang makapakugang nga listahan sa web log sa PCIJ (www.pcij.org/blog/ ) sa mga kadugo sa sipsip nga mga kongresista nga gipanudlo sa Monetary Board, Commission on Higher Education, Subic Bay Metropolian Authority ug ubang ahensiya:

§ Juanita Amatong, bayaw ni Kongresista Prospero Amatong sa Compostela Valley, gitudlo sa Monetary Board niadtong Hulyo 4;

§ Nelly Favis-Villafuerte, asawa ni Kongresista Luis Villafuerte sa Camarines Sur, gitudlo sa Monetary Board sa samang adlaw, Hulyo 4;

§ Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan, ig-agaw ni Kongresista Simeon Datumanong sa Maguindanao, kinsa maoy chairman sa gikaintapang House Justice Committee, gitudlo sa National Anti-Poverty Commission niadtong Hulyo 14;

-o0o-

§ Sultan Yahya "Jerry" Tomawis, igsoon ni Kongresista Acmad Tomawis sa ALIF party-list, gitudlo sa Office of Muslim Affairs niadtong Hulyo 18;

§ Monib Maniri, igsoon ni Kongresista Faysah Dumarpa sa Lanao del Sur, gitudlo sa Office of Muslim Affairs niadtong Hulyo 22;

§ Nenalyn Santiago, igsoon ni Senador Miriam Defensor-Santiago, gitudlo sa Commission on Higher Education niadtong Agosto 1;

§ Lecira Juarez, kauban ni Kongresista Guillermo Cua sa COOP-NATCCO party-list, gitudlo sa Cooperative Development Authority niadtong Agosto 31; ug

§ Armand Arreza, ig-agaw ni Kongresista Prospero Pichay Jr. sa Surigao del Norte ug batabata ni Senador Richard Gordon, gitakdang itudlo nga administrador sa Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

-o0o-

Di lang taga administrasyon ang puntirya sa tentasyon sa Malakanyang. Hastang mga nakapirma na sa impeachment complaint wa pasayloa. Si Kongresista Alfonso Umali Jr. sa Oriental Mindoro nibisto nga giawhag siya ni Presidente Arroyo pagbakwi sa iyang pirma aron matudlo ang iyang igsoong si Reynaldo isip deputy commissioner sa Bureau of Customs.

Gipatawag sab sa Malakanyang si Kongresista Reynaldo Uy sa Western Samar, laing nakapirma sa impeachment complaint, ug gipakita ni Presidente Arroyo og papel sa pagpabalhin ni Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, kinsa gipasanginlang responsable sa lapad nga pagpangyatak sa tawhanong katungod, gikan sa Catbalogan, Western Samar ngadto sa Nueva Ecija. [30] leo_lastimosa@abs-cbn.com

A Sackful of Carrots

Posted by Vinia Datinguinoo
PCIJ

WHILE her defenders in Congress were busy thwarting attempts to impeach her, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was appointing legislators' kin and associates to key government positions, including the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Monetary Board, in what opposition legislators see as a bid to seal support for junking the impeachment.

Between July and August, the President made seven such appointments and announced her intention to make one more:

1. Juanita Amatong. Sister-in-law of Rep. Prospero Amatong (Lakas, 2nd district Compostela Valley), sworn in to the Monetary Board on July 4.
2. Nelly Favis-Villafuerte. Spouse of Rep. Luis Villafuerte (Kampi, 2nd district Camarines Sur), sworn in to the Monetary Board on July 4.
3. Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan. Cousin of Rep. Simeon Datumanong (Lakas, 2nd district Maguindanao), appointed to the National Anti-Poverty Commission on July 14.
4. Sultan Yahya "Jerry" Tomawis. Brother of ALIF party-list representative Acmad Tomawis, appointed to the Office of Muslim Affairs on July 18.
5. Monib Maniri. Brother of Rep. Faysah Dumarpa (Lakas, Lanao del Sur), appointed to the Office of Muslim Affairs on July 22.
6. Nenalyn Santiago. Sister of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, appointed as commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education on August 1.
7. Lecira Juarez. Vice-chair of party-list group COOP-NATCCO, took her oath as chair of Cooperative Development Authority on August 31.
8. Armand Arreza. Cousin of Rep. Prospero Pichay, Jr. (Lakas, 1st district Surigao del Sur) and protege of Sen. Richard Gordon, to be appointed as administrator of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Rep. Dumarpa and Senators Gordon and Santiago have all issued statements denying the appointments of their kin and associates had anything to do with the impeachment, stressing they were all rightly qualified for those positions.

Rep. Guillermo Cua, COOP-NATCCO representative in the Lower House, also told PCIJ his colleague Juarez's CDA chairmanship and the impeachment were "separate issues," and that Juarez had been properly nominated to the post by the cooperatives sectoral council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

It appears, though, that the administration is not slowing down and more reports are emerging of concessions being made in exchange for the withdrawal of impeachment endorsements.

Rep. Alfonso Umali, Jr. (LP, 2nd district, Oriental Mindoro) today confirmed to PCIJ he was asked to withdraw his endorsement of the impeachment charge against the president in exchange for the appointment of his brother as deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Customs. His brother, Reynaldo, is head of the Bureau's legal office. Rep. Umali was one of the first 41 representatives who had signed to endorse the amended impeachment complaint when it was filed on July 25.

"I have seriously considered the matter and while I do care for my brother, I have a duty to perform for love of God and country," Rep. Umali also said in a statement.

Sources from the Liberal Party also say the President recently summoned Rep. Reynaldo Uy (LP, 1st district Western Samar) to Malacañang, and told Uy to withdraw his endorsement of the impeachment charge. Rep. Uy recounted how the president had shown him a piece of paper ordering the transfer of Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan, former head of the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan, Western Samar, to Nueva Ecija. Rep. Uy had been lobbying for the withdrawal of Palparan from Western Samar because of reports of human rights abuses being committed by the military in the region under his leadership.

Reps. Umali and Uy's revelations come after earlier allegations made by other opposition legislators that the administration has been dangling "pork barrel bonanza and juicy government positions" in a bid to thwart the impeachment process.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. says the President, through her allies, has been offering P45-million pork barrel releases to representatives who have yet to decide whether to vote for or against passing on the impeachment case to the Senate. "It's a big bonanza," Pimentel told the media on Saturday, "and it comes with a bonus, the appointment of their relatives and proteges to key government positions."

There were also reports that five representatives who were poised to vote for the amended impeachment complaint had changed their minds as Malacañang promised that former president Joseph Estrada would be granted city arrest by the Sandiganbayan.

But Estrada's son, JV, quickly denied these reports, saying, "Pabagsak na si Gloria, why would we still deal with her?" In a statement, the elder Estrada also made a call for Congress "to resist efforts of the Arroyo administration to pressure them to cover up the truth, and reject the committee report."

Dura Lex, Pyrex

Posted by Sheila Coronel
PCIJ

I will end, Mr. Speaker, by clarifying that this humble representation is aware that what she has said is merely suppletory to all the grand words that have been spoken in this House today.

You have shown us the power of words, Mr. Speaker. Vamos, vamos, vamos.

De Quiros' Column

There's The Rub : Murder in the Batasan

Conrado de Quiros dequiros@info.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

I WAS at the Batasan [Legislature building] Monday night, hoping the deliberations on something so vital might echo the quality of the debate by the British Parliament some years ago on joining the war on Iraq. That debate was also a foregone conclusion -- Tony Blair was determined to be the "English poodle," their version of "tuta," making dogs the most maligned animal on earth -- but it drew forth some of the most moving speeches and sharpest exchanges I've heard. Much of it from the late Robin Cook, who rose to eloquent heights in damning the iniquity.

Alas, I found the Batasan version only a cure for insomniacs. I wondered if the ANC television channel was doing the country a favor by airing it in full: It offered prospective exiles yet another reason for leaving the country. To say that the Batasan floor looked like an unruly classroom is to insult unruly classrooms. While the (largely) pro-impeachment representatives delivered their privilege speeches, begging their colleagues heed the voice of history, their colleagues chatted loudly on cell phones, guffawed at their jokes, or greeted friends in the gallery. Unfortunately, I couldn't always say I blamed them. If the voice of history sounded anything like the speeches I heard, I too would be lulled to sleep. Maybe that's why we are.

Things took a more lively turn only past the witching hour, and I at least had the consolation of seeing the pro-Arroyo congressmen, who seemed to have imagined they'd have a walk in the park, punished by being made to stay in the session hall longer than they expected. I have to thank Francis Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano for that. They are two very fine young men who did a magnificent job in showing up the irony in the title "justice committee" and the phrase "rule of law." It was a justice committee that was resolved to wreak injustice and it was a rule of law that was committed to mob rule.

I can only hope neither of them abandons the capacity for idealism that goes with their so obvious gifts of articulation. I say this because I've seen so many people, young and old, use their talents to defend freedom one day and uphold oppression the next. In this country, the only thing more fickle than the weather is principle.

Escudero it is to whom we owe the contemplated iniquity being pushed back by several hours. Enough for the public who was watching TV at least, if not most of his colleagues who were watching only their backs, to know a battle between good and evil had taken place that night, and that though evil had won the battle then, good might still win the war tomorrow. It was Escudero who showed how the justice committee had conspired to withhold from the pro-impeachment representatives copies of what they were supposed to vote for until later that day. In the end, Simeon Datumanong, Luis Villafuerte and Edcel Lagman agreed to blame the committee staff for the lapse, a breathtaking lie that reminded the world of the same kind of breathtaking lie they were sworn to protect. I don't know how the Moros felt about one of their own reinforcing the already horrible racial profiling of Moros and Muslims. I myself felt deeply ashamed about being a Bicolano.

The next day, Congress murdered the impeachment move. Everyone was predicting it, of course, last Monday night, those fighting for it being filled with a sense of heroic despair, or desperate heroism. A friend, however, put it this way: "It won't be a murder, it will be a massacre. After all, we're not just talking about one bill, we're talking about three bills."

The speeches of those who agreed to commit that murder merely echoed the propositions of the justice committee report. They spoke of the need for this country to respect the law and its democratic institutions. They spoke of the need for this country to attend to poverty and the matter of national survival. They spoke of the need for this country to unite behind their decision and move on.

This country doesn't just have a monumental capacity to use law to thwart justice, it has a monumental capacity to employ the loftiest thoughts to commit the lowliest deeds. They forgot that the most hallowed democratic institution is the vote and that respecting the rule of law at its most elementary level means not picking up the phone in the dead of night and saying "Hello Garci," particularly in a distinctively and unctuously grating voice. They forgot that candidates who rob the voters of their votes do not go on to rule wisely and well but merely go on to rob the people of their wealth. They forgot that there is no honor among thieves, no nation has ever yet united and moved forward on the basis of wrongdoing.

As it was, the move to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was already a compromise, presuming as it did she was the president, albeit one who had betrayed the public trust. When by her own admission of having talked to "a Comelec official" while the counting was in progress (clue: he is nowhere to be found) she wasn't so by the very rule of law Congress has been pleased to invoke. If the move to impeach the President has served any useful purpose, it is only to show that, as in Marcos' time, the law that at least has to do with justice may no longer be expected from those who pass the law, who interpret the law, and who enforce the law. We have to go elsewhere to find it.

The murder in the cathedral of Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, by the king's men made Becket an even bigger figure than he was, turning him into a veritable saint. The murder in the Batasan of the impeachment move by the Queen's men has made ousting a putative president even more necessary than it's been, turning it into a veritable imperative.

It's the rule of law as well that no one may get away with murder.