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By Angelo S. Samonte Reporter
Malacañang denied allegations
that it offered money for its allies in the House of Representatives
to support the filing of a new impeachment case against President
Gloria Arroyo.
The Palace said the President
will not join political bickering over the new complaint against her
and will just concentrate on her job.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye
said the allegation is unfair and unacceptable. He also accused the
people behind the allegation as malicious gossipmongers.
Bunye stressed the President’s
statement this week that she will not let political noise distract
her from doing her job. Mrs. Arroyo said she wants to “concentrate
on work and the economy.”
“If rumormongering could only
generate income, the Philippines would have the highest gross
domestic product in the world,” Bunye said in a short statement.
During the inauguration of an
irrigation dam in Bohol province, President Arroyo said she will let
her political allies tangle with critics accusing her of bribing
lawmakers with cash and projects to support the new impeachment
complaint that will ostensibly immunize her from a more serious one.
Presidential Management Staff
chief Cerge Remonde said the allegation of project and money offers
were just “political intrigues” and has no concrete basis.
On Thursday, some congressmen
confirmed that the impeachment complaint was discussed during an
“emergency meeting” called by President Arroyo in Malacañang.
Around 180 proadministration
congressmen attended the early-morning meeting with Mrs. Arroyo
Thursday, supposedly intended to discuss the 2008 budget, the
passage of the cheap medicines bill and other priority measures,
according to previous reports.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia
also announced Thursday night that he is inhibiting himself from the
impeachment proceedings. He delegated his functions to House Deputy
Speaker Raul del Mar.
Del Mar immediately referred the
complaint to the House Committee on Rules.
Opposition congressmen said the
impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Roel Pulido last week was
meant to “inoculate” President Arroyo from a more serious
impeachment complaint.
In filing his complaint, Pulido
said Mrs. Arroyo has betrayed public trust for her failure to stop
the reported bribery involving some of her Cabinet officials. Former
Neda Secretary Romulo Neri said in a Senate inquiry that he was
offered bribe to support the national broadband network (NBN) deal
with China’s ZTE Corp.
Neri has reportedly been
transferred to the Commission on Higher Education because of his
opposition to the government’s contract with ZTE.
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