Pimentel warns bribery of a lawmaker is an impeachable offense

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. on Sunday said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could be held liable for bribery - an impeachable offense under the Constitution.

This, Pimentel said, depends if the reports are true that about 190 congressmen belonging to the administration coalition were given P200,000 to P300,000 each during a meeting at Malacañang last Thursday in which the impeachment complaint against her was discussed.

"If there is one, two or three congressmen who will stand up and admit that they received the money to give due course to the impeachment case that was filed against the President, that clearly smacks of a bribery for which the official or officials concerned can be charged in court," Pimentel said.

Pimentel noted that the apparent attempt of Malacañang to buy the loyalty of the congressmen came after Anak Pawis Rep. Crispin Beltran exposed the P1 million to P2 million bribery offer of an administration operative, Francis Ver, deputy secretary general of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, in exchange for endorsing Pulido's impeachment complaint.

Similar bribery offers was reported by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Anak ng Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujib Hataman.

Pimentel said, "It is obvious that some of our colleagues in the House of Representatives are just playing around with the impeachment process. This could only besmirch the integrity of the House because the impeachment process should be taken seriously."

Saying there are indications that Malacañang may be behind the weak impeachment complaint, Pimentel said it is outrageous that the administration is resorting to such trickery to shield or "immunize" the President from facing an impeachment case containing the grave offenses she has committed that may be initiated by the opposition and other groups that are disenchanted with her misrule.