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By Maricel V. Cruz, Reporter
Former Speaker Jose de Venecia
Jr. joined the clamor of several sectors calling for President
Gloria Arroyo’s resignation, saying her government, which is
hounded by corruption charges, is a “hopeless case.”
De Venecia was one of the
President’s strongest allies. He chose her as his running mate in
1998, when he lost his Palace bid but she won as vice-president.
The Pangasinan representative was
removed as House speaker after his son testified in the Senate about
the anomalies in the controversial broadband deal and linked the
President’s husband and a close ally. Members of de Venecia’s
camp accused the President’s sons—congressmen representing
Pampanga and Camarines Sur—of orchestrating the move to oust him
as speaker.
In Dagupan City on Monday, de
Venecia said the 100-day period he had given to President Arroyo to
reform has lapsed. He earlier urged her to join his “moral
revolution” to rid government of graft and corruption.
The new House leadership reacted
by saying de Venecia was merely sour-graping.
House Speaker Prospero Nograles
said, “We respect former speaker’s personal opinion, but the
overwhelming majority of the House will not join his call.”
Estrada for resignation
In an interview on the Al Jazeera
TV news network, former President Joseph Estrada said Mrs. Arroyo
should resign because she has lost the people’s trust.
“It shows in all surveys, and I
can feel it also,” he said. “They no longer trust this
President.”
Estrada himself was ousted by the
so-called people power in 2001. Then Vice-President Arroyo became
president. Last year, she pardoned Estrada, who was convicted of
plunder.
He laughed off allegations that
he cut a political deal with the Arroyo government. “I’ll never
deal with her. Her emissary came to me, and I never gave in to the
offer because I know that I will not get justice in her
administration. I’d rather accept the pardon because I had been
incarcerated for six years and-a-half.”
President Arroyo should resign
“to avoid bloodshed and violence,” Estrada said, adding that if
he were in her position, “I would follow the clamor of the
people.”
Nograles on impeachment
The House of Representatives will
consider filing a new impeachment case against President Arroyo, but
will do it with caution, Nograles said.
“We will take the advice of
Senate President Manuel Villar, but we still have to seek further
legal advice before proceeding. We will do it with caution,” he
said.
He was referring to Villar’s
statement about how President Arroyo is culpable after she admitted
to knowing about problems with the controversial broadband
deal—but only a day before she was to sign it. Mrs. Arroyo added
that she went ahead with the signing, to avoid diplomatic problems
with China. She later scrapped the deal.
Nograles added that the Senate
should not tell the Lower House what to do, because it is the sole
prerogative of the House of Representatives to initiate an
impeachment complaint.
“Pushing for an impeachment
case requires three things: first a complaint must be filed; second,
it must be endorsed, and third, [a] majority of congressmen must
vote for it,” he explained.
Nograles said Villar must inhibit
himself if a new impeachment case is filed and reaches the Senate,
because the Senate President has already prejudged Mrs. Arroyo.
Around 100 congressmen, including
the Speaker, went to Malacañang on Monday afternoon to show their
support for President Arroyo.
--With Angelo S. Samonte
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