The Philippine Online Chronicles

An appeal for reconsideration of an impeachment case against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was trashed yesterday by the House of Representatives.

Voting 183 to 21 with three abstaining, legislators upheld the report of the House Committee on Justice that declared the complaint filed by businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, lawyer Harry Roque, and Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico, among others, “insufficient in substance,” the Philippine Star said.

The case was voted down in a session of the justice committee last week.

“The President welcomes this development. We can now move forward, and have a better holiday season,” the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez “appealed to his colleagues who endorsed the impeachment complaint to put the issue to rest,” BusinessWorld said. “The complaint was heard and went through the process, but in the end it was voted down. That is the essence of democracy.”

However, Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III vowed he and his allies will “continue until [they] have achieved a democratic political rebirth of [the] nation,” BusinessWorld reported.

Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. said he, along with House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora and Reps. Rufus Rodriguez, Teddy Casiño and Satur Ocampo, will “challenge [the House ruling] before the Supreme Court (SC),” the Philippine Star said.

“At least we have a 50 percent fighting chance in court to get our case heard whereas we had zero chance in the House's Committee on Justice,” the Philippine Star quoted de Venecia.

Meanwhile, pro-administration Rep. Matias Defensor, chair of the House justice committee, said yesterday in a press conference after the House session that “he wants the Constitution amended so that the impeachment cases would need to have the support of the majority for it to prosper,” according to GMA News.

In Defensor's proposal, “an impeachment complaint should have the support of the majority or two-thirds of the House of Representatives, not just one-third, for it to be transmitted to the Senate.”

Photo: “Red Garbage Truck,” by .bullish, taken from Flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons license number By-NC-ND-2.0-DEED.EN.
Video: “House junks 4^th impeachment case against Arroyo” courtesy of GMA News.