Arroyo escapes another impeachment try

The House of Representatives this morning junked the second impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Voting 173-32, with one abstention, the Lower House adopted the justice committee’s report endorsing the dismissal of the complaint for lack of substance. The deliberations lasted 17 hours.

Had the opposition mustered 78 votes, the report would have been transmitted back to the committee level for full deliberations on its merits, which will include the presentation of evidence or it would have gone straight to the Senate for an impeachment trial.

Malacañang, meanwhile, is “thankful” that the impeachment hearings have finally ended. Political adviser Gabriel Claudio told reporters that the administration is hoping that “the process of healing” will begin and that the impeachment issue “will be replaced by more important matters.”

Last year, the House voted 158-51 to dismiss the first impeachment complaint filed against Arroyo. At that time, there were six abstentions and 21 lawmakers were absent.

The latest impeachment complaint, filed by the Black and White Movement, accuses Arroyo of graft and corruption, betrayal of public of public trust, culpable violations of the 1987 Constitution, bribery and other high crimes.

Justice committee chair Simeon Datumanong said the committee could not assume jurisdiction over allegations that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections and that she violated the Constitution by issuing Proclamation 1017, Executive Order 464, and by allowing the Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR) policy to be implemented. He also said the complaint failed to directly link the President to the political killings and the corrupt activities of government officials.

“The minority (was) poking a gun with a dud bullet,” Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman told Malaya, adding that the impeachment was “a classic case of suicide.”

The “second” death of the impeachment complaint had been foretold. Some have even called it a futile exercise, a distraction, and a waste of the people’s time and money.

But Bukidnon Rep. Nereus Acosta said that while the “numerical superiority is a fact of democracy” it is, however, “not the end all of political contestation.”

Black and White Movement convenor Leah Navarro had earlier said that they will pursue another impeachment complaint against Arroyo next year. House Minority Floor leader Francis Escudero however told reporters that while he was “saddened by the defeat,” he was not sure if the opposition will try a third impeachment bid next year.

Acosta said a duly constituted process like an impeachment trial would have allowed the people to participate in resolving a crisis that has been “tearing the society’s moral fabric” since the “Hello, Garci” controversy broke out last year.