MANILA – Malacañang said Wednesday that it was ready against any moves to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, even as an official stressed that the Senate blue ribbon committee report did not cite specific violations committed by the President.
“Maraming attempts to impeach [the President]. Alam natin na hind ito nagtagumpay because it was all hearsay kasi walang naipakitang ebidensiya. Sa palagay namin, kung merong attempt na another impeachment against her then we will be ready for that [There are many attempts to impeach the President. We know that they’ve not succeeded because it was all hearsay and no evidence was presented. We think that if there is an attempt to impeach the President, we will be ready for that],” said deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo in a press briefing aired over government radio Radyo ng Bayan.
In the same press briefing, Ruy Rondain, the lawyer of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, said that in the end, the decision of the Ombudsman would prevail.
“Unfortunately, for lack of a better word, it’s the Ombudsman’s evaluation that will prevail,” Rondain said.
In its report, the Senate blue ribbon committee sought the impeachment of President Arroyo for allegedly failing to perform her duties under the Constitution in the controversial national broadband network agreement with China’s ZTE Corp.
Aside from the First Couple, the joint committee also sought the prosecution for graft and other forms of corruption of the following officials:
Former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief Neri, former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos, Pangasinan Representative and former Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. and his son, businessman Jose de Venecia III, Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Deputy Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite, Assistant Secretaries Elmer Soneja and Lorenzo Formoso III, former Philippine Forest Corp. president Rodolfo Lozada Jr., and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.
Fajardo, however, dismissed accusations that the President did not act on the ZTE controversy.
“The president did act on it immediately. She asked [Interior] Secretary [Ronaldo] Puno to make the investigation,” Fajardo said.
Rondain also said that the Senate report should be looked at in terms of its substance. Citing recent television interviews of ZTE whistleblower Lozada, Rondain said it was “unfair” to call the Ombudsman investigation as “one-sided.”
“What’s alarming is how [the report] is being treated. For example, I saw Mr. Lozada’s interview last night and this morning, and he was complaining and he was not given a fair show. Mr. Lozada was given several opportunities to submit evidence to the Ombudsman,” Rondain said.
Meanwhile, Fajardo said that there were more pressing concerns that should be addressed instead of another impeachment complaint.
“We have a few months left…we are still at a state of calamity in Luzon, napakarami nating kailangang haraping (we have to face a lot of) important and pressing issues rather than impeaching the President,” she added.
“We hope itong report ng Senate blue ribbon committee will already be the end of it because we already exerted so many effort. Sana ito na rin ang maging katapusan (We have this is the end of it),” Fajardo said.
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