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 Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:53 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 6:24 pm
The political opposition earlier presented to reporters a former aide to a presidential staff member who said Arroyo was present at a meeting in January 2004 where election officials were handed cash a few months before national polls that she won. "In that meeting, President Arroyo directly solicited the support of the Comelec (Commission on Elections) officials present in helping her win in the upcoming elections," said Michaelangelo Zuce, a former presidential liaison officer who resigned from his post in May.
Zuce said he was a distant relation of Virgilio Garcillano, an election commissioner whom the opposition says Arroyo called to try to shore up her votes during counting for the elections.
Gabriel Claudio, the president's political affairs officer, called Zuce's statements "fantastic and incredible."
He said Joey Rufino, a former political aide of Arroyo who Zuce said was his direct boss, could not react to Zuce's allegations because he was seriously ill. The opposition has so far been unable to prove conclusively its allegations that Arroyo tried to rig last year's election and that her family members took payoffs from illegal gambling.
Arroyo has apologized for a "lapse in judgment" for talking to an election official as votes were being counted but denied trying to influence the results.
She did not name the official or say whether it was her voice on recordings of a phone conversation produced by the opposition.
An opposition impeachment case citing a broad list of allegations against Arroyo, including election fraud, is being examined by a committee in the lower house of Congress, where it is likely to be tangled in legal debate for at least two months.
Zuce said he had met and paid senior election officials since 2002, when he said Arroyo had begun a "special project" under the stewardship of Garcillano aimed at boosting her votes in the southern island of Mindanao.
Zuce said Garcillano and Rufino had been among those present at the January 2004 meeting at Arroyo's Manila residence.
Garcillano has not been seen in public since shortly after the recordings of his alleged conversations with Arroyo surfaced in early June.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:56 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:57 pm
MANILA (Reuters) - Gloria Macapagal Arroyo moved to tighten her grip on the Philippine presidency on Tuesday, using her overwhelming majority in Congress to frustrate opposition attempts to impeach her over allegations of wrongdoing.
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Lawmakers in a committee dominated by Arroyo loyalists exchanged legal arguments for three hours on which of three separate impeachment complaints should be taken up.
The opposition is arguing that all three complaints should be combined, but majority lawmakers are pushing for only the initial, weaker case to be considered.
A vote on the issue expected this week is unlikely to draw a line under the months-old political crisis. The opposition still hopes it can muster the support in a full session of Congress needed to impeach her.
"We realize that at the end of the day the majority can railroad this and use brute force, use the tyranny of numbers," said Congressman Roilo Golez, a former national security adviser under Arroyo who has turned against her.
"They might win this battle but lose the war."
Indeed, political analysts say Arroyo still looks fragile given her dire popularity ratings and with Filipinos bracing for an economic chill from spiraling world oil prices that could be worsened by her attempts to raise taxes.
Five lower house law-makers, including four former key Arroyo allies, threw their support on Tuesday behind moves to oust her, signing the impeachment complaint endorsed by 42 opposition congressmen.
"We wanted the truth to come out," Edmond Reyes, an Arroyo ally, told reporters, saying they were worried by efforts by some of his party colleagues to subvert the impeachment process.
He said he hoped their actions would encourage other members of the ruling coalition to defect and support impeachment.
"I believed the president should be given her day in court," said Gilbert Remulla, a member of the ruling coalition, adding that moves to "kill" the impeachment complaint could fuel more unrest in the streets.
Arroyo came to power in January 2001 on a wave of people power protests after the Senate stonewalled an impeachment petition against her predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
The opposition still has the option of gathering the one-third of lower house votes it needs to impeach Arroyo over allegations she tried to fix last year's elections, allowing it to trigger a trial in the Senate.
Opposition leaders, who have accused Arroyo of using the presidency's financial clout to shore up Congressional support, say they are gaining ground but still stand short of the required 79 votes.
RECONCILIATION MOVE
Arroyo can ill afford to relax. Her popularity has hit record lows for any Philippine president and she is under constant attack from opponents still bitter at the way she ousted president Joseph Estrada on the back of mass protests in 2001.
An influential Catholic evangelical leader was quoted on Tuesday as saying that Arroyo was "receptive" to his proposal to form a coalition government with the opposition taking 60 percent of cabinet posts ahead of general elections in 2007.
"She is open to discussing this. We've been discussing this for some time now," Mike Velarde, leader of the millions-strong El Shaddai charismatic movement, was quoted as saying in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Arroyo's office said on Monday she was open to "principled reconciliation" with political foes such as Estrada, who is under house arrest during his marathon trial on plunder charges.
Analysts say Arroyo has reason to be worried as surging world oil prices make life harder for Filipinos and ahead of a Supreme Court decision on whether to lift a freeze it imposed last month on an expanded sales tax that would ratchet up prices.
The court began discussing on Tuesday its keenly awaited new ruling on the sales tax, with markets expecting the 15 justices to vote later this week or early next week to lift the freeze.
That would put Arroyo's fiscal reform plans back on track, but could deal her another blow by adding to the economic pain caused by surging oil prices. The political sensitivity raises the risk of the Supreme Court or Congress watering down some aspects of the expanded value-added tax, analysts say.
Even if the law is left unchanged, the political distractions dominating Congress have raised concerns that debate on further reforms needed to cut the government's $70 billion debt and boost flagging investment will be paralyzed for months.
"The worry is that if we see more delays coming through, this would I think cause sentiment to turn more negative," said Nicholas Bibby, strategist at Barclays Capital in Singapore.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:59 pm
committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
MANILA A committee in the Philippine Congress began on Wednesday its hearings on the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Separately, a Senate investigation yielded more testimony about the president's alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
The hearings in both houses of Congress followed a week of dramatic reversals by witnesses who testified in favor of the president, dealing a blow to political opponents who have sought more testimony to buttress their allegation that Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections, using money from illegal gambling operators.
How the House Committee on Justice conducts the hearings, which could extend until near the end of the year, is being closely watched here, particularly because the political opposition has been asserting that Arroyo's allies will use their dominance in Congress to make sure that the impeachment complaint does not reach the Senate for trial.
Although Arroyo has insisted that the impeachment process is the only solution to the three-month-old political crisis, her enemies have maintained that the Philippines could be plunged once again into political chaos if she and her allies manipulated that process.
The crisis, which began with the allegation that Arroyo's family received gambling payoffs and that she cheated in last year's elections, put a spotlight on the Philippines. It exposed the extent of the damage done to the country by political patronage, weak democratic institutions and a gambling culture that consumes Filipinos.
Legislators spent less than an hour in the House hearings on Tuesday, mostly to bicker and snarl at each other about the cramped space allotted for the hearings, the lack of chairs, even microphones. Minority legislators objected loudly when the committee chairman, an Arroyo ally, refused to allow legislators who not members of the justice committee to raise questions. Things turned for the worse when the chairman abruptly adjourned the hearings.
"It was a circus," said Alan Peter Cayetano, an opposition congressman. "We had hoped that the questions - did she cheat, did she lie, did she steal - could be answered without all of this."
In the Senate hearings, an army captain, Marlon Mendoza, testified that he had heard the election commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, claim shortly before the election that Bong Pineda, an alleged gambling lord, had given 300 million pesos, or about $5.4 million, to help ensure Arroyo's victory.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave 300 million pesos for the president's success in the elections," Mendoza said. Mendoza was Garcillano's security officer at the time. The military sought to pre-empt his testimony Tuesday by announcing that he was under investigation for corruption.
Garcillano is the same election official with whom, the opposition asserted, Arroyo had repeatedly talked on the phone, allegedly plotting to rig the counting of the votes. Arroyo has denied that she cheated, although she has apologized for talking to an election official during the counting of the vote. She did not identify the official.
Earlier, a former employee at the presidential palace asserted that he had seen Pineda's wife distributing envelopes containing cash to election officers inside Arroyo's private residence. The Arroyo administration has denied these charges, calling them a trial by publicity.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:06 pm
pilya
NOT a few have observed how civil society has been silent on the raging issue of the alleged taped conversations between Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Chastised for such a stance, Arroyos allies in the NGO community during the Edsa II people power revolt that catapulted her to power have finally broken their silence with this collective statement issued yesterday, June 17, 2005:
Civil Society Statement on Electoral Fraud, Jueteng Scandal and Unfulfilled Promises
We are non-government organizations and peoples organizations that form part of our countrys civil society. We were part of People Power 2 and many of us supported President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos candidacy in 2004 in the hope that she will fulfill the social and political reforms she committed to in her SONAs and other pronouncements.
However, after four years of her administration, we are deeply dissatisfied with the slow pace of her promised reforms including those in agrarian/aquatic reform and socialized housing. Quite the opposite of advancing pro-poor, sustainable policies and programs, she has aggressively promoted foreign corporation-dominated destructive mining and allowed an additional Board seat in the San Miguel Corporation for Danding Cojuangcos allies, strengthening his hold on SMC and other coconut levy funded institutions/assets. The political concessions she made and allowed has seriously compromised her ability to deliver on these reforms.
And now, we are troubled by the accusations of jueteng pay-offs to the Presidents immediate family members and wiretapped conversations about electoral fraud involving the President herself. While we still have to verify the veracity of the evidences presented, these are serious accusations that clearly affect the credibility of the President and her Administrations capacity to govern our nation.
The situation is not helped in any way by the Presidents continuing and deafening silence on the most simple and basic question: Was that her on the audiotaped conversation or not?
Unless these critical issues are resolved, the Presidents ability to govern is seriously impaired. The current political situation is precarious. Decisive actions are needed immediately to determine the truth and apply justice to those established guilty of these serious accusations.
We call on civil society, the churches and the business sector to jointly create an independent fact-finding commission to investigate the alleged wiretapped conversations concerning electoral fraud in the 2004 elections. The report of the commission should be made directly to the public within a month from its creation.
We urge the government to demonstrate its sincerity in establishing the truth by recognizing this commission and giving it full access to needed information and technical assistance from government agencies. If the outcome of this independent investigation confirms that the President was involved in manipulating the election results together with the COMELEC, she, Vice President Noli de Castro and the COMELEC should step down and face the legal consequences of their actions.
We demand the speedy and unimpeded filing and prosecution of cases against First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Cong. Mikey Arroyo, Cong. Iggy Arroyo and other persons allegedly involved in the jueteng pay-offs. We strongly urge Cong. Iggy Arroyo to, at the very least, take an indefinite leave of absence.
We demand that the President immediately cleanse the government of appointees with strong ties to FG Mike Arroyo including those in PAGCOR, the Philippine National Police, Department of Public Works and Highways, the NAIA and others.
We believe that our countrys problems will persist if the current system of elite domination and patronage politics is not challenged and changed. Soon after the immediate political crisis is resolved, we need a Constitutional Convention that will review our Constitution and pave the way for a federal and parliamentary system that will enable us to break out of the poverty and corruption trap by decentralizing political power, supporting local development initiatives and strengthening government accountability.
Finally, we call on the Filipino people to be vigilant against any attempt by any party to hide the truth or confuse the public through disinformation. We also call on the people to reject any attempt to forcibly grab power through undemocratic and extra constitutional means.
We in civil society will continue to responsibly assess the situation as it develops, make our position and take appropriate action as our collective judgment will dictate.
Peoples Campaign for Agrarian Reform Now! (AR-NOW!) * Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD) * Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) * Citizens Movement for a Federal Philippines (CMFP) * Cordillera Network of NGOs and POs (CORDNET) * Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI) * Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (IPER) * Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD) * Konsyensyang Pilipino (KP) * Local Governance Citizens Network (LGCNet) * Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs (MINCODE) * National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) * National Council for Social Development (NCSD) * National Peace Conference (NPC) * Peoples Alternative Study Center for Research and Education in Social Development (PASCRES) * Philippine Community Organizers Society (PhilCOS) * Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) * Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PhilSSA) * Visayas Network of Development NGOs (VISNET) * Womens Action Network for Development (WAND)
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:07 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:30 am
pilya IF there’s such a thing as a "smoking tape," this is not the one. This one’s a dud.
Chavit Singson and rocker RJ Jacinto could have done a better job by getting professional advice from one of the music pirates at Makati Cinema Square, sound experts whom we talked to say. The alleged phone call, all of 41 seconds where Estrada supposedly plots the assassination of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is "such an amateur job that the pirates are considering suing them," quips Gerry Kaimo, an audiophile and independent record producer.
We know this CD is spurious and are only making the "Chavit X-Tapes" downloadable from this blog for your weekend entertainment pleasure. We like to second Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s proposal that all those who have wiretapped tapes have only until July 31 to make them available to the public. Please let us know ASAP so we can get more bandwidth and make it easier for our readers to download them.
The "Chavit X-Tapes" CD contains seven tracks of recordings. Tracks 3, 4 , and 7 are supposedly post-election conversations between former Pres. Joseph Estrada and former Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Joselin Nazareno. Two of these (tracks 4 and 7) are the same conversation (the first longer by four seconds).
All but one track — Track No. 6 — in the recorded conversations appear to be genuine. If that is the case, then it would seem that Estrada was wiretapped, possibly by ISAFP. But most of the conversations in the X-Tapes are innocouous and pathetic, as an imprisoned Erap sounded dejected about the bad news of his friend FPJ’s loss in many areas in Mindanao.
Sound experts we consulted are saying that the 6th track is “too clean” to be considered genuine. “The whole thing is made up. It is likely that those who made this got splices of Erap’s voice to fit into a script.”
Kaimo is even doubtful. He points to the noticeable hiss in the unidentified Estrada caller’s conversation, but which disappears in Erap’s part. The hiss, he says, could either come from radio frequency interference (airwaves) or electromagnetic interference (existence of electrical appliances). But the suspiciously silent background noise could just as well point to an empty room or recording studio (Was there any coincidence why RJ Jacinto was with Singson during his presscon yesterday?).
Kaimo likewise observed that the man Estrada is talking to sounds like he is reading from his notes.
Carefully listening to the tracks, we also noticed that some of Erap’s utterances — “Ano, ano?” “Uhm” and “Ok, ok, sige” — could very well have been taken from the almost six-minute track containing the conversation between Estrada and Nazareno given very similar intonations in Estrada’s voice. Check for yourself the following timecodes in track 4 (or 7): 2:52 (for “Ano, ano?”), 4:14 (“Uhm”) and 5:53 (“Ok, ok, sige”).
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:33 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 2:35 am
THE AIR Transport Office (ATO) washed its hands off any liability in the alleged escape to another country of an election official who had been linked to poll fraud.
Subic Air Lear jet RP-C1426, the plane former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano allegedly used going to Singapore, was allowed to leave because other government agencies like the Bureau of Immigration (BI) had given their approval, according to Manuel Villegas, ATO assistant chief head officer, at the Department of Justice's "Task Force Garci" fact-finding inquiry Friday.
"Before we issue the flight plan, all government agencies like the Bureau of Immigration (BI) already approved their request," Villegas said.
Villegas said Subic Air sought permission to go to Singapore for the repair of the RP-C1426 Lear jet.
"We checked and the jet really had a repair in Singapore," Villegas said, adding that only the pilot, co-pilot, and mechanic were listed on the flight manifest.
Villegas
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said it was not their responsibility to check who was inside the plane.
"Our only concern is if their documents are already complete," he added.
Reports said Garcillano left for Singapore on July 14 aboard the Lear jet under investigation.
Reports have identified Garcillano as the male voice in alleged wiretapped conversations with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo discussing the purported manipulation of poll results.
Arroyo has admitted to being the voice on the tape but denied rigging the election.
Garcillano has gone into hiding after the scandal broke out but has issued a similar denial in an Inquirer interview.
The former Comelec official has a standing warrant of arrest issued by the House of Representatives after he failed to attend hearings on the issue.
He has been seen in several places in and out of the country until the Department of Foreign Affairs admitted that he had gone to Singapore on July 14.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:39 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:41 am
THE IMPEACHMENT complaint by lawyer Oliver Lozano could be part of a "grand plan" to frustrate the impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representatives, former Cabinet members who called for Arroyo's resignation said on Tuesday.
"Is it possible that lawyer Oliver Lozano, unknown or known to him, [is] part of a grand plan to frustrate the impeachment process?" former education secretary Florencio Abad said in a prepared statement by the group.
Former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman said she personally witnessed the President order her political adviser Gabriel Claudio to have the Lozano complaint endorsed immediately at the House.
Soliman quoted Claudio as telling the President that he would talk to Congressman Rodante Marcoleta to have the complaint endorsed.
Soliman said the incident occurred on June 27 after Arroyo apologized to the nation in a televised address for talking to an election official in last year's election.
Arroyo
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had been accused of poll fraud after alleged wiretapped tapes recorded her conversing with an election official whom reports identified as former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano over the purported manipulation of poll results. Both have denied the claim.
"At that time I was not aware of the significance of that conversation but at this juncture I believe I have to make [a] statement in the interest of truth and fairness," Soliman said in a press conference in Makati City Tuesday with members of the "Hyatt 10."
Soliman said they were hoping that their revelations could help undecided congressmen decide about endorsing the impeachment complaint.
She said they were prepared to testify at an impeachment trial if summoned.
Aside from Soliman and Abad, also present at the press conference were Imelda Nicolas, former chairman of the National Anti-Poverty Commission; former finance secretary Cesar Purisima; former Internal Revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno; and Ging Deles, former presidential adviser on the peace process.
The "Hyatt 10" is a group of 10 former Cabinet secretaries who resigned from their posts over Arroyo's alleged involvement in cheating. They have been called the "Hyatt 10" after they announced their resignations at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila in July.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:44 am
THE IMPEACHMENT complaint by lawyer Oliver Lozano could be part of a "grand plan" to frustrate the impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representatives, former Cabinet members who called for Arroyo's resignation said on Tuesday.
"Is it possible that lawyer Oliver Lozano, unknown or known to him, [is] part of a grand plan to frustrate the impeachment process?" former education secretary Florencio Abad said in a prepared statement by the group.
Former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman said she personally witnessed the President order her political adviser Gabriel Claudio to have the Lozano complaint endorsed immediately at the House.
Soliman quoted Claudio as telling the President that he would talk to Congressman Rodante Marcoleta to have the complaint endorsed.
Soliman said the incident occurred on June 27 after Arroyo apologized to the nation in a televised address for talking to an election official in last year's election.
Arroyo
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had been accused of poll fraud after alleged wiretapped tapes recorded her conversing with an election official whom reports identified as former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano over the purported manipulation of poll results. Both have denied the claim.
"At that time I was not aware of the significance of that conversation but at this juncture I believe I have to make [a] statement in the interest of truth and fairness," Soliman said in a press conference in Makati City Tuesday with members of the "Hyatt 10."
Soliman said they were hoping that their revelations could help undecided congressmen decide about endorsing the impeachment complaint.
She said they were prepared to testify at an impeachment trial if summoned.
Aside from Soliman and Abad, also present at the press conference were Imelda Nicolas, former chairman of the National Anti-Poverty Commission; former finance secretary Cesar Purisima; former Internal Revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno; and Ging Deles, former presidential adviser on the peace process.
The "Hyatt 10" is a group of 10 former Cabinet secretaries who resigned from their posts over Arroyo's alleged involvement in cheating. They have been called the "Hyatt 10" after they announced their resignations at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila in July.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:48 am
THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation Interpol chief on Tuesday said former Elections official Virgilio Garcillano has no visa to the United States, making it "highly improbable for him to hide in the country."
NBI Interpol chief Ricardo Diaz said a check with the US Embassy database showed that no visa was issued to Garcillano from 1993 to 2005.
Diaz explained that even if Garcillano were issued a visa before 1993, "the visa would have expired by now."
"It would be impossible for Garcillano to leave the Philippines for the US without a visa," Diaz said.
Garcillano has been in hiding since a wiretapping controversy broke out in June where he was said to be caught on recordings with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo discussing ways to ensure an Arroyo victory in the 2004 polls.
The House of Representatives issued an arrest order against Garcillano after he snubbed three subpoenas from the joint committees probing the wiretapping controversy.
The former election
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commissioner was reported to have arrived in Singapore on July 14 but left the city-state the following day.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:51 am
Moody's Investors Service downgraded its outlook on the Philippines' long-term foreign currency borrowings Tuesday to "negative" from "stable" in a fresh reminder of rising political risk in the country ahead of the presidential election next year.
The cut caused spreads on Philippine sovereign bonds to widen and briefly hurt the peso but the ratings agency maintained its Ba1 rating on foreign debt, leaving it one notch below investment grade and one higher than those assigned by rival agencies.
Moody's said recent political developments, including a failed coup attempt on July 27 and a Court of Appeals ruling to suspend the central bank governor, "reflect deep political tensions."
"Although the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has prevailed against these challenges, political risks are rising as the 2004 presidential election approaches," the US-based international rating agency said in a statement.
A faltering export performance was also reducing the country's current account surplus and raising pressure on its balance of payments, it noted.
Many expect Ms Macapagal-Arroyo to stand for election in May although she announced in December that she would not do so. Investors say her failure to reiterate that intention is raising uncertainty.
The peso, which tumbled to near an all-time low of 55.75 to the dollar after the July military mutiny, initially weakened to near 55.00 to the dollar Tuesday on the Moody's news, from an early high of 54.81 to the dollar. It later rebounded to around 54.88 to the greenback.
"There is some knee-jerk reaction in the foreign exchange market," said Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Amando Tetangco, who later denied that the central bank had intervened to help the peso.
Spreads on Philippine sovereign dollar bonds widened by five to seven basis points, raising concerns the government might have more difficulty in financing its borrowings.
The Philippines, the largest sovereign debt issuer in Asia outside of Japan, had 56.1 billion dollars in foreign debt at the end of June, from 55.8 billion dollars three months earlier.
The government has said it plans to issue as much as one billion dollars' worth of global bonds by the end of the year to fund requirements for the rest of 2003 and 2004.
After the Moody's announcement, Finance Secretary Jose Camacho said there would be no change in the government's borrowing plans for this year.
Analysts said the outlook cut was not that surprising, because it brought Moody's more into line with other credit rating agencies, although it did underline the political uncertainty that has been the main factor behind a slump in foreign investment this year.
"The fiscal situation has stabilized, but going forward the bias is still towards the downside," said Dilip Shahani, head of Asian Credit Research at HSBC. "The big question in the Philippines is who will become the next president."
Indonesia rose on the ratings scale on Tuesday as the Philippines risked another fall. Moody's said it had raised its rating on Indonesian debt and the outlook was stable.
A growing worry about the Philippines is that its debt is so high that interest payments use up cash that could otherwise be spent on much-needed investment.
"The fiscal numbers have been better in recent months but then government targets have been much less ambitious," said Brian Coulton, senior director for Asian sovereign ratings at UK-based rating agency Fitch.
"In fact, debt dynamics in Philippines are quite adverse as you have got a situation where debt is now around 35 percent of total government revenue," he said.
The Philippines has struggled to keep a lid on its budget deficit, exceeding three successive targets last year, but it has made progress this year. Moody's maintained the negative outlook on the Philippines' Baa3 rating for government domestic debt.
US-based rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded its long-term foreign currency rating on the Philippines to two notches below investment grade in April because of the country's budget deficit.
Fitch followed suit in June.
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