‘P-Noy fate over DAP better in Congress than SC’

MANILA, Philippines - A Palace official has expressed preference for a political battle where President Aquino has better chances with congressmen deciding the impeachment complaints rather than appointed justices. 

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said he prefers elected officials tackle the Aquino impeachment issue in the House of Representatives over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Coloma said that while the nullified DAP is legal in character, this issue has now been transferred to the political arena with the filing of impeachment complaints.

He told Palace reporters that elected representatives of the people would decide and not the justices of the high court. 

Coloma was apparently referring to the Supreme Court justices that unanimously voted that portions of DAP were unconstitutional.
Under the DAP, savings pooled were allocated to programs, activities and projects that were not covered by the General Appropriations Act.

Coloma stressed that the House members are expected to safeguard the welfare of the people. 

At the same time, he expressed confidence that the impeachment complaints against Aquino will not prosper, not only because this is in reality a numbers game, but primarily because the congressmen have the interest of the people in mind.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said they will allow the House to decide on the series of impeachment complaints filed against Aquino over DAP. 

“The House has its rules. We will defer to the committee on justice and to House members themselves,” Lacierda said, referring to the panel headed by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., an ally of Aquino.

Tupas is a member of the ruling Liberal Party that Aquino heads, and the congressman also led the prosecution team in the impeachment trial of then chief justice Renato Corona in May 2012.

“If we make any statement as to conclusion, then there will be implications to that. So we would rather let the House assess it and use their own rules to assess the allegations of the complaint,” he told a news briefing.

Lacierda also assured the people the administration would not lift a finger to have the impeachment complaint thrown out. 

When asked if pork barrel funds – in whatever form – may again be dangled as an incentive to congressmen who will vote to have the impeachment complaint thrown out, he said it will be up to the lawmakers themselves.

Over the weekend, Coloma hinted it may still be premature to file an impeachment complaint against Aquino, noting that the Supreme Court’s ruling on DAP is not yet final and executory.  

Serial filing

Critics of Aquino have apparently engaged in serial filing of impeachment complaints against him.

Yesterday, 25 student leaders belonging to the Youth Act Now lodged their own complaint against Aquino with the House.

The move followed the filing of the first case on Monday by militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

Teachers belonging to party-list group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) are scheduled to file a third complaint today.

Party-list Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna and Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis endorsed the Bayan complaint, while Rep. Terry Ridon of Kabataan served as endorser of the youth leaders’ impeachment case.

ACT party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio is expected to endorse his group’s complaint.

Party-list Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela announced that they would join their colleagues in endorsing the complaints.

Bayan and the youth groups’ accusations against Aquino are based largely on the administration’s controversial DAP.

Their complaints charge the President with culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in connection with DAP.

The third complaint may contain the same allegations.

Asked why they did not join Monday’s complainants and chose to file their own complaint, Ridon said they wanted to show the public that there is a snowballing move to make the President accountable for his accelerated spending program through the impeachment process.

Among the student organizations under Youth Act Now are League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines and Kabataang Artista Para sa Tunay na Kalayaan.

Ridon said the complainants are students of various Metro Manila universities.

The complainants urged fellow students to boycott their classes in protest DAP.

Tupas, who chairs the House committee on justice, said two or more complaints could constitute one impeachment proceeding, provided they are referred to his panel at the same time. – With Michael Punongbayan, Jess Diaz, Mayen Jaymalin, Marvin Sy, Edu Punay, Eva Visperas