SPEECH OF CONGRESSMAN ROILO GOLEZ SENATE FLAG RAISING, 8 AUGUST 2005
A CALL FOR VIGILANCE, FAIR PLAY AND JUSTICE

My dear colleagues in the government service here in the Senate, ladies and gentlemen:

First of all, thank you so much for making me your flag raising Guest Speaker on this 8th day of August which is the first day of another very historic week in the annals of the Congress of the Philippines. On August 10, the House Committee on Justice of the 13th Congress of the Philippines will commence its hearings on the Impeachment Complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

It is my hope and prayer that the House and the Senate is on a convergence course on this great issue and that eventually we in the House shall pass on to the Senate the Impeachment Complaint for trial as provided for by the Constitution of the Philippines.

Of course, there is another matter that threatens to originate in the House and that is the proposal for Congress to become a Constituent Assembly for the purpose of constitutional change or Cha-Cha. Here, my hope and prayer is that the paths of the House and the Senate shall not converge, but collide. That is, that the Senate shall reject the constituent assembly proposition if the matter is forced by the tyranny of numbers in the House. It is my prayer and hope that the Cha-Cha proposition be immediately rejected by the Senate, to preempt the House, because I, together with the majority of the Filipino people or around 70% per latest survey, believe that the constituent assembly is being proposed to divert the attention of the public from the grave accusation that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stole the 2004 election.

We are facing a severe political crisis which is begging to be solved as soon as possible. We do not need constitutional change now. We need to confront a grave moral issue that is beginning to devour our institutions.

Look at the public perceptions and sentiments.

Arroyo's approval rating dropped to 19 percent in July from 25 percent in June and her disapproval rating rose to 58 percent from 46 percent in the same period, according to a July 2 to 14 survey by Pulse Asia Inc. conducted nationwide on 1,200 respondents.

According to Pulse Asia, "This is the lowest rating not only for Arroyo, but for any
president,"

And the reasons cited for this decline in her ratings are primarily the Hello, Garci tapes which have been the subject of inquiry in the House and juetengate which has been the subject of inquiry in the Senate.

But although those issues were directed at the President, the survey also showed a drop in the approval ratings of other top government officials for the same period.

Vice President Noli De Castro's rating fell from 58 percent to 44 percent.

Senate President Franklin Drilon from 51 percent to 39 percent.

House Speaker Jose De Venecia from 40 percent to 31 percent.

And Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide from 41 percent to 31 percent.

Apparently, the moral issue against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ignited public cynicism of great magnitude that all institutions, not just the Presidency, have been smeared.

That’s why it is very important to address the moral issue with courage and principle, and not through political expediency and naked, mindless tyranny of numbers.

Let me quote a very apt article written by Peter Wallace, a foreign businessman who happens to have lived for decades in the Philippines and is married to a Filipina and who therefore, just like of all of us Filipinos here, has a stake in our nation’s future and image:

“Morality isn’t a comparative thing. It’s black and white. You’re moral and act in a moral way on all issues, or you aren’t, and don’t. Practical considerations of what comes next are irrelevant to this, what I must again stress, most basic of societal fundamentals: morality.

“The President has been accused of, or suspected of having compromised the high moral standards demanded of leadership for the desire to get to, and remain in power. She must dispel that perception in the soonest possible time if the economy and society is not to greatly suffer.

“If Congress makes the serious mistake of suppressing the impeachment case, this country has no hope, and I stress this, no hope of a decent future. It will sink below Cambodia. Vietnam is already destined to overtake the Philippines (on GDP/capita, according to an ADB forecast, it will do so in seven years). Like most people I’m willing to hold judgment on the President’s guilt. But I’m not prepared to see it swept under the rug, because if that happens the Philippines will sink off the international map and the potential for civil unrest rises dramatically, unrest that could quite possibly turn violent.

“The President’s strategists should stop focusing on winning the battles (even though they’ve been quite successful at this) and concentrate on winning the war by proving the President is innocent.

“The President is under serious threat, and has lost the support of those who can think dispassionately and have sufficient awareness of what has happened. So the present situation cannot continue as it is or it will bring the economy to its knees. As one resort owner told me, this is the worst period they’ve had since they bought the resort eight years ago. How many other businesses are suffering similarly under a questioned leadership?

“The question must be removed as soon as possible. I’d have thought the President would want to clear her name quickly, that she doesn’t seem to want to can only lead to one conclusion.

“Surely she doesn’t want that.

“She claimed in the Sona to have created 4 million jobs, she didn’t: she didn’t create any, businessmen did. And the 4 million was 1 million short of what was needed, so 1 million more people were relegated into poverty because businessmen didn’t have the confidence to invest in the Philippines. SWS says 20 percent of people are unemployed, and I’d rather trust their numbers than government’s. One in five people without a job, that’s terrible. Even the government number of 11.7% is bad enough. “\

I believe that is good advice that must be heeded by the men and women elected to comprise both the House and the Senate.

But what is happening?

I don’t know exactly what we can expect in the Senate.

But there are some alarming signals coming from the House.

The majority appears to be playing a very dangerous game in the impeachment case against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

First, the Majority Leader stated in a live ANC interview at around 12:45 noon, Monday, 1 August 2005, that when 79 signatures are achieved, they will let the Impeachment Complaint pass, i.e., transmittal to the Senate.

Now, after the unanimous vote that same day adopting the 11th Congress Impeachment Rules, we are hearing contrary noise from some members of the majority, including the Majority Leader. That even with 79 signatures, the Majority would still force the matter to be discussed and debated at length in both committee and plenary instead of being transmitted immediately to the Senate for trial.

Second, some majority members are stating that the amended complaint should not be entertained, after all the raised expectations due principally to the opening speech made by the Speaker himself. That what would be considered by the House Committee on Justice, using the force of the majority, would be the weak original complaint.

I hope they realize the grave political and security repercussions of a public perception that the majority and Malacanang are subverting the impeachment process.

80% of Metro Manilans… roughly 8 million people… are in favor of the President’s removal by resignation or Impeachment. They are pinning their hopes on a just and fair impeachment process.

There is also the very alarming survey indication that 7% of the entire Philippines… roughly 700,000 in Metro Manila and close to 6 million all over the country… want the President removed by whatever means.

That is a very significant number in favor of other means of removal, including extra-constitutional. Only the vast majority of the people who continue to have faith in the constitutional process are holding the 7% in check.

If the faith in the constitutional process of those 80% in Metro Manila is eroded enough, the extra-constitutionalists might prevail and all hell could break loose.

That’s why it’s important to adhere to the rules of fair play lest the Impeachment Complaint be instead referred to the Court of the People.

Malacanang cannot be too sure about the military which I know is keenly watching. The President faces a serious moral issue and I know that the military is very sensitive to grave moral issues such as accusations that the election has been stolen.

We in the political leadership should exert all efforts to keep the military in their barracks instead of being provoked to join the political fray by a subverted impeachment process. This is a potential flashpoint which should not be ignored.

I also deplore the statements of the Speaker and the Executive Secretary made last August 3 that they have the commitments of enough congressmen to prevent the Impeachment Complaint from being sent to the Senate “whatever the evidence to be presented before the justice committee.”

It is clear that they are out to protect the President and subvert the impeachment process by tyranny of numbers irrespective of the evidence against the President.

This is an insult to the members of the House and an assault on fair play and justice. The Speaker and Malacañang are making it appear that House members are like mindless cattle that can be herded anywhere the President want them to go.

Any attempt to rig the impeachment process is playing with fire and they shall be held fully responsible for the consequences of the dangerous game they play.

And there is the matter not only of the accusation of stealing the election but also stealing witnesses against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

In today’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the screaming headline states: “BISHOP CRUZ ACCUSES PALACE OF BRIBING WITNESSES” and the following news stares us in the face:

ARCHBISHOP Oscar Cruz yesterday accused Malacañang of bribing and harassing witnesses who had implicated President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo in election fraud and "jueteng" (illegal gambling) payoffs in a bid to remain in power.

"There are no more principles. There are no more values and morals. Everything is just about money, money, money," Cruz said in a telephone interview with the Inquirer and in a statement broadcast over the Church-backed Radio Veritas.

Cruz said Malacañang was either bribing or harassing witnesses in an attempt to repair the damage caused by their testimonies. He said the government had also resorted to buying their own witnesses to discredit damaging testimonies.Thus, the fight includes apparently stealing then suborning witnesses. That is sad. That is terrible.

But we all can prevent injustice and the dire, frightening consequences of a suppressed and subverted impeachment process by joining the call for vigilance on the part of the public and the appeal for objectivity and patriotism on the part of all parties to this political drama.

Let’s all pray that the President will have her day in court, as she has been declaring she wants from day one, so that the Impeachment case will be given due course and reach the Senate for trial so we can see the evidences and listen to the witnesses.

Let’s pray for closure of the grave moral issues confronting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo according to the principles and process enshrined in the Constitution and not closure by extra constitutional means.

Mabuhay kayong lahat dito sa Senado. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

May God bless us all.

Thank you very much.