MANILA, Philippines - After eight hours of marathon debates, the House of Representatives impeached shortly after midnight Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in a voting that more or less followed party lines.
Voting 212-46 with four abstentions, the House impeached Gutierrez, eight months since the first of the two impeachment complaints was filed against her in July.
Those who voted “no” came from both the administration and the opposition bloc, including former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua, and Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla.
There were unconfirmed reports that San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito changed his vote from “no” to “yes.”
Among those who abstained were Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, wife of Sen. Bong Revilla, and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar, son of Sen. Manny Villar.
The abstention appears to be connected to the fact that both senators would be acting as judges when Gutierrez’s case goes on trial in the Senate.
Most of the “no” votes came from the opposition bloc.
It was clear at the start of the plenary debates at 5 p.m. yesterday that the majority congressmen were going for the kill as 212 lawmakers, mostly from administration bloc, were present in the impeachment proceedings to ensure they have sufficient votes for the articles of impeachment to make Gutierrez stand trial in the Senate.
Only 95 votes are needed to send the articles of impeachment, which includes Committee Report 778 of the House committee on justice, to the Senate.
However, as the night wore on, it became evident to pro-impeachment congressmen that their colleagues supporting the Ombudsman were not giving up the numbers battle without a fight.
Before midnight the number of House members swelled as the majority wanted to ensure an overwhelming vote for Gutierrez’s impeachment.
Gutierrez is accused of betrayal of public trust for allegedly sitting on major corruption and human rights cases involving Mrs. Arroyo and some of her officials.
“We need to impeach and make Gutierrez accountable. Why? Because she herself said that our impeachment proceedings are farcical,” Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, vice chairman of the House justice committee, said in his sponsorship speech seeking a favorable vote for House Resolution 1089 to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
“She said she is ready to face the Senate, then let’s bring it on!” he said.
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., chairman of panel, dismissed allegations that the Aquino administration was railroading Gutierrez’s impeachment, saying the report was “a product of careful deliberation and consideration.”
“It was a product of complete impeachment proceedings, a first in our nation’s history. Despite initial setbacks...no shortcuts were taken and every procedure was diligently observed,” he said.
He said Gutierrez’s impeachment is the “will of the sovereign people.”
“I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in making history today, and stand up and rise to the challenge of performing our constitutional duty as the true representatives of the people,” he said.
He said the Ombudsman violated her oath office, undermined the integrity of her office and has “brought disrepute to the office.”
“She has acted in contrary to the Constitution, rendering her unfit to continue in office,” Tupas said.
Tupas was earlier accused of having an axe to grind against Gutierrez, who filed charges against his father and namesake for graft.
House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman at the start of the session sought to stop the voting on the articles of impeachment by asking the chamber to investigate text messages that circulated among lawmakers over the weekend that allegedly threatened them of being deprived of pork barrel funds if they do not vote in favor of Gutierrez’s impeachment.
He lamented that the impeachment proceedings against the Ombudsman have increasingly degenerated into an inordinately partisan enterprise.
“The partisan alacrity to doom the Ombudsman was started by the President himself when he unabashedly and publicly rallied the members of his party to impeach the Ombudsman--targeting the Ombudsman as public enemy number one, who is not even charged with graft and corruption, but with contrived sins of omission,” Lagman said.
He said “the President imprinted his own logo on the impeachment proceedings unmindful that under the Constitution he has no role or participation whatsoever in impeachments.”
He said Mr. Aquino’s partisan interference in the impeachment process in the House reached a “chilling level” because of the text message.
“This is also blatant bribery! This is a crime,” Lagman said.
House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales however said Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte also received the same text message and order him to investigate the matter.
Gonzales said Cavite Rep. Emilio Abaya, the purported author of the controversial text message, strongly denied that he was the one who sent the text message.
Gonzales also told the chamber that Belmonte called for a majority caucus on Sunday night where he assured lawmakers that no House member would be deprived of his or her rightful share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund regardless of how he or she voted on the articles of impeachment.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay in separate manifestations on the floor said they have not yet received their copies of the committee report so the House members must be given more time to read the material before making such a crucial vote.
To prevent Gutierrez’s supports from delaying the proceedings, Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Puentevella ordered start the consideration of the resolution and the committee report at past 6 p.m. upon Gonzales’ motion.
Lagman said the opposition bloc would not taking a common stand but would do a “conscience vote.” The same position was taken by other parties in the House like the Nacionalista Party and the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Seven members of the minority bloc took turns in grilling Tupas, including Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, ALAGAD party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, Nueva Vizcaya Rep Carlos Padilla, Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, and Lagman.
When it was the turn of Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco to grill Tupas, the latter withdrew and gave up the task to Fariñas. It turned out that Syjuco was about to make some exposes about Tupas and his family and the Iloilo congressman was apparently trying to avoid being put in a spot.
Syjuco said he was about to divulge, among others, the meeting between Tupas, and his father--former Iloilo governor Niel Tupas Sr.--and Gutierrez.
“I demand that the sponsor (Tupas) face me to answer the questions I have for him. I deserve to have the sponsor stand on his own feet,” Syjuco said. Fariñas said Tupas could not face Syjuco because he was one of his wedding godfathers.
Syjuco described Tupas as “cowardly” and said he indeed knows many things about the Tupases.
Gonzales however threatened to end the debates unless Syjuco would tone down his statements. He said Syjuco apparently was not interested in attacking the articles of impeachment but Tupas.
When Syjuco persisted, Gonzales moved that he be investigated by the ethics committee. As things started to heat up, Puentevella called for recess. When cooler heads intervened, Syjuco cut short his interpellation but ended with a parting shot that Tupas was using the impeachment for his ambition to be a senator.
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