Impeachment – ellen tordesillas

ICC will be the next battleground

Published by Ellen on May 16, 2017

Rep. Gary Alejano during the House Justice Committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against Pres. Duterte. Photo from Philippine Star.

It was not surprising that the Malacañang-friendly congressmen killed without much fuss the impeachment complaint against President Duterte filed by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano Monday.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, also a member of the Magdalo group (which started as a group of young military officers advocating for reforms in the military), lamented the quick dismissal of the impeachment rap saying that the members of the House Justice committee didn’t even study the content of the complaint when they decided that although it was sufficient in form, it was not sufficient in substance.

But Trillanes, one of the few who dare oppose Duterte, said it’s not the end of the quest for a better government for the Filipino people.

In fact, the dismissal of impeachment complaint would even bolster the communication filed by lawyer Jude Sabio against Duterte before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Impeachment vs Duterte ‘in the larger scheme of things’

Published by Ellen on March 17, 2017

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano files the first impeachment complaint against Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

There are things that you do knowing that its chance of success is not high but you do it because you know it’s the right thing.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano filed Thursday an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte. It’s the first against the President who was elected with 16 million votes and enjoys high trust and satisfaction rating nine months into his presidency.

The complaint alleged committed culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Hamon sa oposisyon na kongresista

Published by Ellen on November 17, 2008

House Justice Committee junks MOA-AD intervention

Nang isinampa ng mga bloggers sa pangunguna ni Manuel L. Quezon III ang impeachment complaint laban kay Gloria Arroyo noong Miyerkoles, walang kongresista na nag-indorso.

Ayaw kasi ng mga Bayan Muna at ng Gabriela ang isyu ng MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement-Ancestral Domain) dahil kakampi nila ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front, na siyang makinabang sa pag parte-parte ng teritoryo ng Pilipinas ng lupain sa Mindanao na ginawa ni Gloria Arroyo.

Naniwala ang mga bloggers na nag-file ng impeachment complaint na kaya ginawa ang MOA-AD ay paraan yun para maisulong ni Arroyo ang charter-change na siyang magpapalawig ng kanyang hawak sa kapangyarihan. Ito ay labag sa batas at isang impeachable offense.

Sa wakas, nagdesisyon si JDV

Published by Ellen on November 5, 2008

Mabuti naman at pumirma ng impeachment complaint laban kay Gloria Arroyo si dating House Speaker Jose de Venecia.

Kailangan maghanap ng ibang panlalait ang mga kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo sa pang-apat na impeachment complaint na isinampa laban sa pekeng presidente.

Parang hindi nga tama pagsamahin ang “impeachment” at “pekeng presidente” kasi ang ini-impeach lamang ay ang legal na presidente. Ang mga peke kasi dapat tinatapon. Kaya lang, ganyan talaga sa Pilipinas.

Seditious

Published by Ellen on October 30, 2008

The Webster dictionary defines “seditious” as “tending to cause discontent among the people; fostering the spirit of rebellion.”

I think Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez was barking up the wrong tree when he said that the pronouncements of Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines ; Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz;Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas; Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, and Legazpi Bishop Emeritus Jose Sorra at a press conference last Tuesday were “seditious.”

I checked again what the five bishops said. Their statements were mostly on graft and corruption which they said were the “biggest culprit and major cause of the our nation’s poverty and hunger.”

The return of Joc-joc

Published by Ellen on October 19, 2008

Last Friday. I got this text from a friend: “NAIA manager Al Cusi, Dureza and Atty. Tony Zulueta here now in Manila Pen bar brainstorming on how to shield Jocko when he arrives. Pabalik na Jocjoc. Overheard sila by a friend. Media should be alerted.”

Dureza, of course, refers to Press Secretary Jesus Dureza and Zulueta is the lawyer of former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante.

The next day, I got another text from the same friend: “From embassy source:Jocjoc next week to be escorted by US Marshall. Jocjoc wife already here. Maybe media should start making noise to pre-empt government attempt to silence him.”

Why try impeachment again?

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2008

Click here for Inquirer story on filing of impeachment complaint.

When it was announced last Friday that concerned citizens will try once again , for the fourth time, to file an impeachment complaint against Gloria Arroyo, the immediate reactions I heard were, “ “Why try again? It won’t prosper anyway.”

My answer is, Gloria Arroyo should be impeached because she has committed impeachable crimes. That’s the plain and simple reason.

What are those impeachable crimes that Arroyo committed? Culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, just to name a few.