Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s dominant allies in the Philippine Congress on Wednesday dismissed the fourth impeachment complaint filed against her in as many years for alleged corruption and other crimes.
Opposition leaders vowed to try to impeach her again in next year — a year before her term ends — and some warned of other options, including a nonviolent “people power” revolt,” to remove her from office.
“Our day will come,” Representative Ronaldo Zamora said after resting the opposition’s case, which accused Arroyo of corruption, abuse of power and violations of the Constitution and human rights.
As in three other failed impeachment bids, Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives’ Justice Committee used their superior numbers to dismiss the 103-page complaint on a technicality by a vote of 42-8.
Pro-Arroyo Representative Edcel Lagman said the opposition had only resurrected old allegations.
“The hearse of exhumed carcasses must be led back to the graveyard,” Lagman told the committee.
Opposition Representative Teodoro Casino warned that blocking democratic avenues to remove Arroyo may impel Filipinos to resort to another “people power” uprising, as they did to oust former Philippine presidents Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001.
“They’re courting danger by not allowing this democratic search for truth,” Casino said.
Arroyo succeeded Estrada in 2001, then won her own six-year term in 2004 in a vote that the opposition claimed she and her aides rigged.
A highlight of days of heated nationally televised impeachment debate was the appearance of Arroyo’s former political backer, ex-house speaker Jose de Venecia, who accused her on Monday of bribing him and other lawmakers to ensure the defeat of an impeachment complaint last year.
Arroyo is the longest-serving head of state since Marcos, but surveys have consistently ranked her the most unpopular.
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
US ELECTION: Polls show that the result is likely to be historically tight. However, a recent Iowa poll showed Harris winning the state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign entered its final hours. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on election day today. Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally in must-win Michigan that “we have momentum — it’s
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Although the human dead usually get their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different. The holiday has roots in Mexican pre-Hispanic customs, as does the reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife, and were sometimes given
RSS