Impeach hearing off to rocky start

ON the justice committee’s first session yesterday, noisy arguments on who should be allowed to take part in the debates and over the lack of microphones led to the postponement until Monday of the next hearing on the impeachment cases against President Arroyo.

Rep. Simeon Datumanong (Lakas, Maguindanao), committee chair, suspended the session after less than an hour but allowed discussions to continue in an executive session on Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico’s query on why non-members of the committee could not be allowed to ask questions.

Datumanong earlier said non-members could not be allowed to ask questions because the hearing is not an ordinary one in aid of legislation.

After the executive session, he reversed himself and said that non-members will only be barred from voting but will be free to raise questions and make motions when the next hearings are held at noon on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

The committee has 60 regular members and some 30 ex-officio members, with the minority bloc having about 10 regular seats.

"They say pinalitan ko ang rules? Kasi ito ay impeachment proceedings. It’s not an ordinary hearing of a committee on bills, it’s a hearing on an impeachment complaint, it’s a class by itself," Datumanong said.

Suplico maintained otherwise. "It is not a new committee since this is still the committee on justice hearing the impeachment complaints against the President… Clearly, it was unusual for the chairman to make the ruling unless he wanted to discriminate (against) non-members," he said.

Suplico said even members of the majority "pleaded" with Datu-manong to reconsider.

Rep. Roilo Golez (Ind., Parañaque) offered majority leader Prospero Nograles a copy of the book "Rulings of the Chairs" which showed that any House member can attend and participate, except vote, in any hearing.

Nograles said, "Hindi naman yan binding."

Golez retorted, "E di punitin na lang natin ito?"

Deputy Speaker for Luzon Benigno Aquino III said he is not aware of any ruling in the House that prohibits non-committee members from participating in any deliberation of any committee.

"We are governed by the rules of the House, I hope they will not pursue this until they wear out the patience of the people," Aquino said.

Nograles said the committee did not want to exclude non-members but only wanted to start work on the determination of the form and substance of the complaint as it has only 60 session days, counting from July 25 when the complaints were referred to it, to bring its recommendations to the plenary.

"We have anticipated na magkakaroon talaga ng technical problems. But we will iron (everything) out so that by Monday, we will have a smoother and more orderly hearing," he said.

Nograles said they also could not start debating yet on which of the three impeachment complaints should be considered in view of the Constitutional bar on the filing more than one impeachment complaint against the same official within a year.

President Arroyo is facing three impeachment complaints at the House – the one filed by Lozano, followed by a second from lawyer Jose Lopez, and a third, a supplemental or amended complaint to Lozano’s, filed by the opposition.

In the amended complaint, the President is charged with betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and bribery and graft and corruption based on eight specific cases, including accusations that she benefited from jueteng money.

Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (NP, Taguig-Pateros), spokesman of the impeachment team, slammed Arroyo’s allies for dwelling on "technicalities." He said any delay in the impeachment process would be an "injustice to the Filipino" people, especially because the complaint "has long been prepared and waited for."

Cayetano also questioned why Datumanong convened an executive session when the rules they adopted for the impeachment say that the hearing "shall be open to the public except when the security of the state or public interest requires that the hearing be held in executive session."

"Mukhang itong umaga na to e dapat buksan na ang mga imprenta at mga bagong law books na ang i-imprenta ngayon dahil pabago-bago na naman yun mga rules…Siguro isa sa mga factors duon ay nakita nila ang tatlo sa Hyatt 10 ang nandito at nanunuod, baka nagkaroon ng konting panic duon sa Palasyo at kailangang mag-regroup," he said.

The so-called Hyatt 10, referring to the 10 Arroyo cabinet members who resigned as a group and called for Arroyo’s resignation last July 8, were represented by former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman, ex-presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles, and former National Anti-Poverty Commission chair Imelda Nicolas.

Soliman said they were there to "lend support for those who are in search for truth…we are associated with the Citizens for Truth or C4T. Sila’y isa sa sumusuporta sa impeachment process."

Guillermo Luz, president of the Makati Business Club, who was also present in yesterday’s hearing, said Datumanong’s handling of the first hearing was disturbing.

"I’m very surprised and disturbed with the suspension. We are dismayed that they are still debating on the rules. We hope that we could go straight to the hearing and not deal with technicalities," Luz said.

Luz said he will prepare a report about what transpired yesterday at the House for the information of the business community.

The Datumanong committee plans to move from the Andaya hall to a bigger room in its next hearings to accommodate congressmen, media members and spectators. Representatives Douglas Cagas (NPC, Davao del Sur) and Harlin Abayon (LP, Northern Samar) that the Andaya hall was too cramped and some of their colleagues did not have access to microphones.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the Session Hall is being considered but time adjustments would have to be made since regular session starts at 4 p.m. when the justice committee is expected to still be wrapping up its business. – Wendell Vigilia and Peter J.G. Tabingo