SAN FRANCISCO—"Sobra na, sobrang-sobrang na."
This was the strong statement given by Philippine Congressman and former Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco last Monday, November 3. De Venecia submitted his formal written endorsement of the impeachment complaint against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on the grounds of her betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, and graft and corruption.
Accompanied by his wife Gina and son Christopher, and community leaders and organizations like BAYAN-USA, GABRIELA USA, GMA Watch and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), the former speaker went to affix his signature on the endorsement before Vice Consul Antonio Morales and had the document notarized.
Morales said that the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco does not have an official statement about the matter.
De Venecia previously refused to endorse the complaint to impeach Arroyo last month out of delicadeza because one of the principal complainants was his son, Joey de Venecia III, who blew the whistle in the Senate about the irregularities in the government’s $329-million national broadband network (NBN) contract that was awarded to the Chinese firm ZTE Corp. in April 2007.
"Last year, for refusing to endorse a sham and bogus impeachment complaint against the President, and for supporting my son’s call for truth and justice—I was removed as Speaker and as president of the Lakas CMD party I co-founded," De Venecia said in a press statement circulated to the media. The former speaker explained that this time, the complaint is "very serious, not bogus and not a sham like the last time." Claiming that the previous complaint was only two to three pages, the present form is over a hundred pages and was signed by leaders of society.
De Venecia also explained why he was prompted to sign and have the endorsement done in San Francisco instead of in the Philippines. "I had already made a statement verbally, but not in writing, but it was on a Sunday," he said and added, "I had to fly to Washington to meet with the publishers of my book." He also stressed that he wanted to be sure that the signed and notarized documents will be received the House’s Secretary General in time for the opening of Congress.
Technically, the impeachment complaint is not official until the present Speaker of House Prospero Nograles receives and transmits it to the Committee of Rules. It will then move to the plenary and must be referred to the Committee of Justice who will rule as to the sufficiency of complaint in form. But the battle will begin, De Venecia said, on deciding by vote, on whether it is sufficient in substance. The final voting should have at least 80 members of Congress to sign for it to go to Senate for trial.
"As former President Joseph Estrada has said before, if the House will be blinded with cash and pork barrels, the impeachment will die," De Venecia said. He is of course, hoping that the members of the House will use their conscience. "The members of the House should be very careful because they can’t mess around with truth and justice."
On the US elections and present financial crisis
Having endorsed the impeachment complaint a day before one of the most historic Presidential elections in the US, De Venecia was asked his views about the matter. He cited that the US remains to be a leader of democracies but would rather remain neutral.
As for the present financial crisis facing the US, De Venecia believes that it is time to "tighten our belts."
"The full impact will be felt in the first quarter," he said and added, "A decline in dollar remittance is being felt, because families in the US must first look after themselves. They have no choice."
He also believes that the impact goes beyond the US, citing the effects on tourism, Philippine exports and direct foreign investments.
"We have to save money in the Philippines, not to use money on extravagant spending," he said.
De Venecia will be flying to Washington to meet with the publisher of his authorized biography, Global Filipino. He will then fly to Mexico to meet with the leaders of Europe and Latin America. (With reports from Joseph L. Peralta)
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