A sad day for Congress and the truth

THE JUNKING of the three impeachment cases against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday by the House of Representatives by a vote of 158 to 51, was a sad moment for all Filipinos who had been hoping for some light to be shed on the accusations of cheating and corruption by the Arroyo administration.

Instead of allowing the House to investigate the many charges of electoral fraud and "jueteng"-funded corruption, representatives voted to kill the impeachment complaints after furious lobbying by the Arroyo administration, which used promises of quick disbursements of Priority Development Assistance Funds to get supporters of the impeachment bid to either vote against it, abstain or just not show up in Congress this week.

Representative Imee Marcos was one of those conspicuously absent from the plenary session of the House, which pointed to some sort of deal having been struck between the Arroyo government and the Marcoses. Even Representative Pedro Pancho of Bulacan province, of former president Joseph Estrada's Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino party, admitted that he had cut a deal with the government to abstain from voting for the impeachment. He stayed away from Congress, pleading that he was "forced" into the pro-Arroyo deal for the sake of his poor constituents. Estrada said that Pancho would now be expelled from the party.

This massive throwing of money and jobs at congressmen by President Arroyo in a desperate bid to gain their support is going to have dire consequences for the country. For sure, doing so does buy one support for a while, but Ms. Arroyo is soon going to find out that those who were swayed into supporting her will also want their pound of flesh in return, and sooner rather than later. The President has just turned herself into the biggest milking cow in Philippine history, hardly something to be proud of.

What can be honestly described only as the widespread looting of public funds by President Arroyo to get what she wants, including millions from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, is something that should be thoroughly investigated. But the question is by whom? Congressmen, the recipients of most of this Arroyo largesse, are hardly in a position to investigate themselves.

* * *

The hypocrisy of Arroyo supporters

THE ARROYO administration's attack forces have been busy this week trying to discredit the opposition Black and White Movement headed by Ferdinand Poe's widow Susan Roces and former president Cory Aquino.

First it was columnist Solita Monsod attacking former Arroyo ally and secretary of social welfare Dinky Soliman. Monsod questioned Soliman's credibility for having stuck by Arroyo for four years and then suddenly becoming the most vocal of the President's critics.

Well, Soliman has impeccable activist credentials, and has earned the right to criticize the president by resigning from the cabinet. I'm sure that Soliman thought she could prevail in guiding the President in the right direction, but finally realized, like the rest of us have, that Ms Arroyo is interested only in hanging on to power at all costs, and not in the good of the nation.

Yet the most incredible criticism of the opposition movement, which has been holding regular protest rallies against the President, has come from administration supporters who say people power is not the answer this time around. What a joke! Has President Arroyo forgotten that this was the way she first came to power in 2001? Now that this same weapon is being used against herself, the President recoils in horror, with Malacañang calling this week for a moratorium on protest rallies while the President attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.

I hope the opposition does not give up in holding street rallies, now that the legal channel of an impeachment hearing has been blocked. President Arroyo should cancel her New York trip and agree to step down now and allow Vice President Noli de Castro to lead the nation until new elections can be held in 2007. Otherwise, the uncertainty caused by continuous opposition to her rule will keep impacting negatively on the country's economy and political stability.

The President is now damaged goods that no amount of reconciliation efforts could ever mend.

Comments to rasheed@arabnews.com