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Thursday, October 11, 2007
Lawyer mulls withdrawing Arroyo impeach raps
MANILA -- The former lawyer of Oakwood mutineers who filed the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed Wednesday willingness to pull out his bribe-tainted complaint.
Lawyer Rafael Pulido has vowed to withdraw the complaint endorsed by Laguna Representative Edgar San Luis. But he stressed that he will make the withdrawal only in the presence of more stronger and serious complaints.
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"Critics belittle my complaint as inadequate. Yet, no one has dared to actually file a supposedly superior complaint. As I've indicated before, I am prepared to withdraw my complaint if someone else will file another complaint that they can say is superior," Pulido said.
Pulido also said he had contemplated the filing of an impeachment complaint against resigned Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., but dropped the idea after he saw Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico on television declaring that he would file the complaint against Abalos the following day, a threat that the local official made good.
He pointed out that even before he filed his impeachment complaint, opposition congressmen supportive of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. had publicly threatened to impeach the President if Malacañang succeeds in ousting the House leader.
"In fact, the threat to impeach the President was all over the papers then. Sadly, no one was brave enough to make good his threat," he said.
The lawyer, meanwhile, welcomed Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago's call for the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the Speaker and his son, Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, for alleged violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the broadband project scandal.
Pulido earlier filed multiple graft charges against the Speaker and his son. The charges stemmed from the unlawful submission by Joey’s Amsterdam Holdings Incorporated (AHI) of a bid to install a broadband network for the government and the anomalous award of a congressional franchise to Multi-Media Telephony Incorporated, which is also owned by de Venecia III.
Santiago asked Ombudswoman Merceditas Gutierrez to look into the Speaker's and his son's criminal liabilities during the Senate hearing on the budget of the anti-graft investigator's office.
Pulido also endorsed Akbayan party-list Representative Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel's filing of yet another set of graft charges against Abalos.
He said he had meant to file similar charges against the former election chief, but did not pursue the matter after another lawyer, Ernesto Francisco Jr., beat him to the draw.
"Actually, Congresswoman Baraquel's complaint against Mr. Abalos is the third or fourth that dealt with Mr. Abalos," Pulido said.
He added: "I specifically dealt with the Speaker and his son because curiously, no one else was suing them. Yet, clearly they were also parties to all the wrongdoing in connection with the broadband scandal."
"No one should be spared. There should be no selective prosecution. This is precisely why I filed an impeachment complaint against the President, also in connection with broadband scandal," said Pulido.
He maintained that his impeachment complaint "is sufficient in substance and form." (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (October 11, 2007 issue)
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