The fence-sitters

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JUST when they were needed most.

Several pro-impeachment congressmen were a no-show during the round-the-clock House session which ended yesterday afternoon with the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

They were Representatives Imee Marcos (KBL, Ilocos Norte), who was one of the original endorsers of the complaint, Luis Baby Asistio (NPC, Caloocan), Oscar Malapitan (KNP, Caloocan) Antonio Serapio (NPC, Valenzuela) and Jack Enrile (PMP, Cagayan).

Another KNP congressman, Rep. Vincent Crisologo (Quezon City), attended the early part of the session yesterday but left, saying he would rather join the street protests as he does not recognize Gloria Arroyo as president, the argument on which he anchored his decision not to sign the complaint.

Also absent were impeachment endorsers Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes) and Edwin Uy (Isabela), both of the Nationalist People’s Coalition who were reported to have been wooed by the administration to withdraw.

Rep. Baisendig Dilangalen (PMP-KNP, Maguindanao), wife of former Maguindanao Rep. Didagen Dilan-galen, spokesman of former President Joseph Estrada, abstained from voting along with five other congressmen.

Their absence followed the call of President Joseph Estrada for his allies to endorse the impeachment complaint and vote against the report of the committee on justice to overturn it.

Marcos, who has been issuing anti-Arroyo press releases and urging the United Opposition to "unite," could not be reached for comment.

Asistio, a close friend of Estrada’s, is reportedly abroad like Uy. – Wendell Vigilia