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.