Opposition lawmakers vowed yesterday to file impeachment charges against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who tried to calm the crisis by announcing a truth commission to investigate vote-rigging allegations against her.
The lawmakers said that they planned to file up to 10 criminal charges, including election fraud and corruption.
They were seeking witnesses among 13 former Cabinet members and top aides who recently quit Arroyo's government -- some saying they're willing to testify against their former boss.
PHOTO: AP
The truth commission adds another dimension to the seven-week-old political standoff. It was unclear what effect, if any, it would have on impeachment prospects.
The lawmakers and lawyers scrambled to prepare charges, evidence and witness rosters in time to file an impeachment complaint by Thursday, said Representative Ronaldo Zamora, head of the opposition's legal team.
Congress will convene next week. An impeachment trial -- the second in less than five years in the deeply divided country -- would be a politically explosive exercise against a backdrop of almost-daily anti-Arroyo protests and rumors about brewing coups.
"Our charges against her would revolve around the crimes of cheating, lying and stealing," Representative Francis Escudero said.
The main charge centers on allegations that Arroyo rigged last year's closely contested election, but Zamora said there could be up to 10 criminal offenses she may have committed during more than four years in power.
He said the opposition will give Arroyo a "day in court," but urged her to step down to avoid a drawn-out process.
"I expect that President Arroyo would see that she has no escape from this process and we still urge her to resign," he told DZBB radio.
Also yesterday, about 1,000 members of a left-wing women's group demanded Arroyo's ouster in a noisy rally in Manila's financial district. They waved placards, a large caricature of Arroyo and a mock presidential seal with a lizard -- a local symbol for politicians who cling to power.
In an open letter to the Philippines' influential Roman Catholic bishops, Arroyo repeated her refusal to quit, said she would set up a truth commission and indicated that the solid turnout for a rally in her support on Saturday had helped provide "a more balanced view" of public opinion.
Arroyo said that quitting -- when she has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing -- would undercut the country's fragile democracy.
Arroyo had been vice president before she was swept to power in 2001, following the ouster of Joseph Estrada amid huge protests over allegations of massive corruption and misrule.
The so-called "people power" revolt erupted when pro-Estrada senators blocked the opening of crucial evidence against him during an impeachment trial.
Arroyo won her six-year term in an election last year, but it came under a cloud with the emergence of phone recordings in which Arroyo and an election official purportedly discussed ways to ensure a million-vote lead and restrain a possible witness to fraud.
Arroyo apologized for phoning the official before she was declared winner, but denied manipulating the outcome.
The crisis has worsened with the resignations of 13 Cabinet members and advisers, including Arroyo's economic team.
Opposition lawmakers were expected to exploit their insider knowledge. Imelda Nicolas, who quit as head of the government's anti-poverty commission, said she and other ex-Cabinet members were willing to testify "if we know something relevant to the charges."
Another ex-Cabinet member, who declined to be identified, said some of them were familiar with allegedly questionable government transactions, including the release of emergency disaster funds to woo political leaders.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS