Good Summary by Maceda

From Manong Ernie:

Former Department of Social Welfare and Development secretary and GMA confidante Dinky Soliman revealed at a press conference Tuesday two very serious acts of GMA which further erode the credibility of the impeachment process and the integrity of the presidency.

Soliman revealed that she personally witnessed and heard GMA ordering Secretary Gabby Claudio to get the Oliver Lozano impeachment complaint endorsed, to which Claudio answered he will call Rep. Rodante Marcoleta.

Recall that after July 8 when the calls for her resignation mounted, GMA fought off resignation by offering to subject herself to impeachment proceedings as a peaceful and constitutional alternative. It is now clear that she was not sincere in that as she corrupted the impeachment proceedings with the filing of the Lozano complaint, the endorsement by Rep. Marcoleta, bribing and pressuring congressmen not to sign, begging them by phone at all times of the day and night, appointing their relatives, inviting them to Malacañang, and the last straw, directing the House majority to railroad the killing of the complaint before she leaves for the United Nations.

GMA certainly used all the tricks in the book to head off resignation and step down calls and by her offer of the impeachment option got the support of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and obtained a last-minute lease on life in the Palace.

Now the CBCP must realize its bishops have been had, tricked and made minced meat of by a lying President and a master of manipulation.

To add insult to injury, Soliman also revealed that GMA resisted Cabinet demands to fire Ephraim Genuino, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman, because she needed him to take care of the bishops (and media).

Archbishop Angel Lagdameo and the CBCP must now order an investigation by asking all the bishops to report how much money, if any, they have received from Pagcor.

This issue involves another constitutional violation — that of the separation of church and state.

The Soliman revelation also confirms that Pagcor funds are being used to buy a favorable press. The different media organization ombudsmen must now also formally investigate this matter. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has also exposed the release of three checks totalling P12 million to Genuino in July for PR expenses.

Now it is doubly clear why Genuino resisted putting Pagcor under the Department of Finance supervision as then proposed by Secretaries Amatong and Boncodin who called for an independent audit and GMA upheld him. Estimates of Pagcor leakages, including huge intelligence funds disbursements, reach P20 billion over the last four-and-a-half years of GMA rule.

This is one more cogent reason why the new taxes are not welcomed by a suffering taxpayer. Properly run, audited and counted for, Pagcor should be contributing billions more to reducing the fiscal deficit.

The Soliman exposé cannot just be waved aside with a cursory denial by Gabby Claudio and Marcoleta. Record-wise, Soliman is the more credible witness.

There was good ground for Rep. Ace Barbers and the minority to demand that the House look into the Soliman charges. These are the real prejudicial questions that go to the intrinsic validity and fairness of the impeachment process.

In refusing to do so, justice committee chairman Simeon Datumanong has sunk the integrity of House proceedings as well as his own to its lowest depths.

The opposition lost a battle but the war has just begun.

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Hope. One good thing about the impeachment proceedings is the emergence of Allan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Robert Ace Barbers, Edmund Reyes, Gilbert Remulla, Clavel Martinez, Teddy Casiño, Ruffy Biazon and Arnulfo Fuentebella as the more intelligent and credible members of the House.

In the walkout that marred Tuesday meeting of the committee on justice, Cayetano and Fuentebella delivered outstanding speeches that should be added to all-time list of excellent orations.

Another good Speaker was Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., who unfortunately joined the wrong side of the impeachment issue. To be fair, he voted no to the exclusion of the amended complaint but considering that his election to the House was made possible through the support of UNO chairman, Mayor Jojo Binay, his non-support of Mayor Binay's position is perplexing. But his supporters are still praying that Teddy Boy will see the light soon.

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Shot in the arm. One aftereffect of the Datumanong railroad is the decision of a growing number of pro-administration representatives to sign the amended impeachment complaint.

To the list of Roilo Golez, Clavel Martinez, Ace Barbers, Edmund Reyes, Robert Jaworski, Gilbert Remulla, now is added the prominent name of Cynthia Villar (NP, Las Piñas) wife of Sen. Manuel Villar, NP president. In the last elections, GMA won only in Las Piñas in the National Capital Region.

Cynthia Villar's endorsement is more than a singular vote. As a former Speaker's wife, she is quite respected by the other members of the House, especially the woman congressmen. Some woman representatives should follow her example. After Remulla, Cynthia Villar's decision to endorse the amended complaint is a clear go-signal to other NP solons to follow suit.

Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano (NP, Taguig-Pateros) is probably correct in this estimate they are short by a single digit number to reach the magic number.

As NPC chairmen emeritus, I am really saddened by the fact that the NPC leadership has been marked by its deafening silence on an issue of the highest national interest. NPC Representatives Francis Escudero, Darlene Antonino, Ruy Elias Lopez, Arthur Pingoy have taken the patriotic step of pushing the search for truth.

We call on young NPC leaders Elias Bulut, Rodito Albano, Bojie Dy, Vince Garcia, Joseph Santiago and Mark Cojuangco to make their mark in history by endorsing the amended complaint. A chance to become more than a footnote in history comes only once in a lifetime.