BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – The impeachment process is a game of numbers.
Attempts to impeach President Benigno Aquino III will not prosper, said Iloilo City’s Cong. Jerry Treñas.
The President has an “overwhelming majority” in the Lower House, he stressed.
Anti-Aquino legislators should convince 97 congressmen or one-third of the 290 House members to transmit the impeachment complaint to the Senate for trial.
At least three cases as of July 18 have been filed by various student and anti-pork barrel groups against President Aquino.
There are no sufficient grounds, Treñas said.
He told Panay News it would be “very difficult to prove” that the President intended to violate the Constitution when he instituted the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) that the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional last month.
The congressman also explained that the ruling on DAP, the basis of the impeachment complaints against Aquino, is “not final” yet.
Thus theoretically, the Supreme Court decision can still be reversed wholly or partially, said Treñas, a lawyer by profession.
“(Aquino) should complete his term because we saw unprecedented growth during his term. His reform agenda has started to take root. There is a lot of potential for the Philippines as there is for Iloilo…as there is for the Filipinos and the Ilonggos,” he stressed.
For Cong. Niel Tupas Jr. of Iloilo’s 5th District, chair of the House committee on justice, two things should be present for the complaints against the President to succeed: strong evidence and very strong support of the people.
“The complaints are for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust. It’s harder to prove culpable violation because bad faith and malice on the part of the respondent should be proved,” Tupas told Panay News.
Proving betrayal of public trust, Tupas said, is “a bit easier” as “it is a catch-all provision.”
Tupas was the chief prosecutor in the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The son of Iloilo’s former governor Niel Tupas Sr., however, said he cannot say whether the impeachment complaints against the President are strong or not.
“The complaints will still be heard by the Committee on Justice. It will determine the sufficiency of the case in form and substance,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Cong. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo’s 3rd District is mum on the impeachment.
“I don’t know,” Defensor told Panay News when asked if he thinks the case will prosper.
He said he had not read the complaints yet.
Early this month, Iloilo City’s Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said it is possible for President Aquino to be impeached.
He violated the Constitution and the principles of accountability and responsibility over DAP, said Santiago.
But the feisty senator believes the case “is bound to fail” because of the President’s majority support from the Lower House./PN
