Arroyo ready to face impeachment trial

Arroyo ready to face impeachment trial

Paul Alexander, Associated Press/Manila

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is ready to face an impeachment
trial to quiet an ongoing political crisis over alleged election
fraud, her spokesman said on Tuesday, confident that the
embattled leader can refute the damaging accusations.

"The impeachment is uncalled for and will just be a waste of
the people's time," Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a
statement. "But if this move is the only way to put a stop to the
prevailing political grandstanding and mudslinging, then we
welcome the move ... if only to establish the proper
constitutional venue."

Allegations against Arroyo, stemming from wiretapped
recordings of phone conversations between her and an election
commissioner, have set off rumors of another "people power"
revolt or a coup, either of which could destabilize the
Philippines' nascent democracy.

Arroyo has acknowledged talking to the official and apologized
for "a lapse in judgment," but denied influencing the outcome of
the polls and dismissed opposition calls to resign.

On Tuesday, two crucial witnesses who supplied the copies of
the recordings agreed to surrender all tapes in their possession
to a House of Representatives inquiry into the wiretaps. The
House was expected to play them if dominant pro-administration
lawmakers do not object, said Rep. Gilbert Remulla, who heads the
five-committee probe.

Separately, two lawyers filed impeachment complaints against
Arroyo, claiming she rigged the election, but the issue can be
taken up only after Congress resumes its session on July 26.

Arroyo is scheduled to deliver her annual state of the nation
address a day earlier.

House Speaker Jose de Venecia, a close Arroyo ally, said he
would endorse an impeachment complaint against the president
because it was his constitutional duty.

The administration, with a strong majority in the House and a
narrower margin in the Senate, appears to believe it could
prevail in an impeachment process. A trial also would buy time
for the crisis to pass and for Arroyo to continue with a series
of announcements to shore up her credibility.

"Hopefully, this move will quiet down the political
environment," Bunye said. "This will enable the nation to get
back to the business of the economy. Apart from the search for
truth, there is nothing more pressing than an immediate return to
normalcy under the rule of law."

Opposition lawmakers suspect the impeachment complaints, which
they believe to be faulty, were orchestrated by the
administration to ensure that no other impeachment motion is
filed within a year, a constitutional limitation.

"We are cautiously studying the impeachment option and we are
still wondering if President Arroyo will waive her rights under
the anti-wiretapping law and her rights to privacy for us to
proceed because any impeachment may be rendered useless if she
won't," said Rep. Francis Escudero, the House minority leader.