MIRON

Slow Death Continues

Edmund Reyes makes an impassioned speech on behalf of the opposition. He tells the committee that the opposition has 73 commitments to sign. "For the truth to come out, the Filipino people need six more members of this House to endorse the complaint. Just six more," he said.

  "Is there anyone else? Is there no one else? Is there any one else who will sign for the truth?" Reyes asked.

He appeals to fellow congressmen to sign the blank endorsements which he proceeds to leave behind amidst cheers and applause. (Good call to field this guy Reyes. He is a fresh voice. Unlike his young colleagues who smack of old politics and sound like broken records the way they repeat themselves.)

A scuffle breaks out as protesters are escorted out. As drama unfolds outside and ANC is forced into a splitscreen and a difficult decision as to which camera's audio feed to carry, Jauralla responds to Reyes's speech, decrying the opposition's failure to file an impeachment case when they had a chance.

Jauralla: "They should not blame us for their miserable failure to secure the 79 signatures... Even if this is a political process, we must respect the procedure provided for by law, if we want the truth."

Luis Villafuerte: "Ang pikon talo!...We may not agree with them but we will defend to the death the right to be wrong!!! (huh?)

Butz: "22 Years ago, my brother in law was murdered.. witnesses disappeared... Today the government is concealing the truth! They are using technicalities to thwart the truth! They are raiding homes without search warrants. Again there is a coverup of this wrong doing. What can we do? Are we going to bury the truth today?"

Mandalulong Rep: "That's a very unfair remark to say we did not vote according to our conscience. Pinagaralan ko ang complaint, binasa ko..." The opposition voted to choose the rules they are criticizing now...

Live shots of protesters outside the Batasan Complex as speeches go on inside. Miron tosses to inq7:

VOTING 48-4 with one abstention, a committee at the House of Representatives recognized the original complaint filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano, effectively dismissing the amended version filed by the opposition and one filed by lawyer Jose Rizalino Lopez against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Ricky Carandang: The opposition now has two options. One is to gather the 79 signatures. The other is to question the decision of the Justice Committee before the Supreme Court.

Meantime, this very interesting survey by Pulse Asia:

ABOUT 67 percent of Filipinos believe life has become worse over the past 12 months amid a political crisis and rising oil prices, a survey released Wednesday said.

Only 12 percent said their quality of life had improved over the past 12 months, while 19 percent said they expected things to get better next year, the survey revealed.        

It also found that 80 percent of respondents believed the country's conditions had worsened over the past 12 months, with 65 percent saying they expected it to get worse.

The survey found that 11 percent agreed with the statement "this country is hopeless."

However only five percent said the poor should join anti-government groups seeking the ouster of Arroyo. (my bold)

Listen Peaches or get Creamed. We need to get those signatures. Ayaw ng publiko ng gulo.

Aftermath

I think the walkout was planned, no doubt about it. And all the Imps had to do was pick a sufficiently infuriating moment to actually do it. God knows that's easy enough, what with an infuriating moment happening in congress, every what -- five, ten minutes.

To build up to the moment, though, they needed Dinky to belatedly recall hearing something (Gloria telling Claudio to have the Lozano complaint endorsed already), the implications of which only dawned on her of late.

Late indeed.

Damn disappointing to see our team so obviously outwitted, outclassed,  outdone, and now literally snivelling outside the halls of congress. I'm with Sassy on this one:

This impeachment mess is the result of bad political and legal research and strategy. Instead of wasting time on the streets calling for Gloria Arroyo’s resignation, instead of all that drama with the hearings on the ‘Garci’ tapes, instead of all the posturings and elbowing each other to get in front of the TV cameras, the opposition should have taken the initiative in filing an impeachment complaint--an honest-to-goodness complaint with all the correct facts and allegations.

Kids -- they are looking more and more like kids these days-- next time, do your homework. What?!! Do you expect us to quit our nine-to-five jobs, walk out on our crucial posts at the assembly line, and sacrifice our next minimum wage pay slip to go the streets and make kapit bisig with you?

Sorry but Rainy season. No umbrella. Four kids. Bawal Magkasakit.

Call us when you've got Garci or 79 signatures, whichever comes first.

LIVE Coverage of Slow Death II

The HYATT 10 are holding a press conference right now. Go and watch the television coverage on ANC. Hurry! Butch Abad setting up his point... "did she (President Arroyo) make the admission on Garci tape out of sincere desire to tell the truth? Many of us wondered if the president was confusing her survival with the survival of the country..."

If you're stuck with Miron...tough patutis. Follow at your own peril.

• Butch Abad says they were bothered by incident that happened before the I am sorry speech witnessed by Dinky Soliman:
• Dinky Soliman:"last june 27 2005 when I was still secretary we were called to a meeting in malacanang where we watched live coverage of the I am sorry speech of the president. After the speech we joined the president, congratulated her, even sang for her... Outside the main banquet hall, I saw an incident the full meaning of which just dawned on me of late... The president was informed by Sec. for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio that Lozano had filed an impeachment complaint. The president asked if it has been endorsed. Claudio said it had not been endorsed. I heard the president, pa endorse mo na. He said he will try to talk to Congressman Marcoleta. At that time I was not aware of the significance of the conversation, but at this juncture, it is important I make this disclosure.
• Butch Abad: Was it a coincidence that Lozano filed a complaint on the same day the president said I'm sorry? Is this part of a grand conspiracy to prevent the filing of a real impeachment complaint? If that is so ,were Lozano and Marcoleta aware of such a plan?...
• No no no... please don't pass to Karmina. They pass to Karmina.
• Miron tosses to inq7's report on this "grand plan" to thwart impeachment against PGMA
• Losing no time, the Palace calls for its own press conference to deny the charges made by what the palace sarcastically calls the Hyatt 4.

UPDATE:

• Rep. Paras: Complaints cannot be taken up because they are insufficient in form. They shouldn't even get to a vote. Under the rules, they should be sent back to the complainants. That should be their first act in Congress.
• We are distracted by a showbiz moment: JDV shaking hands with a beaming Susan Roces in the audience. Stops for a photo opportunity - JDV posing with Susan Roces on the day that the impeachment complaint quite possibly gets killed. Smiles all around. Beautiful. We're screwed.
• Hearing resumes.
• "Point of order of Paras's point of order is OUT OF ORDER because they are not yet talking about sufficiency of form."
• Paras defends his point of order. "We will no longer be a committee on justice but a committee on injustice" if they take up something that will turn out to be insufficient in form.
• Various voices: "Point of order mr chairman, mr chairman section 3, mr chairman! filing of verified complaint we have no verified complaint it has to be thrown out!"
• WHAT KIND OF CONGRESS IS THIS?!! (cried miron's anguished inner voice)
  
• Break:
• Ricky Carandang: The question is whether the justice committee will terminate this process now, on a superficial technical point.
• Hearing resumes:
• Rep. Roman given his 8 minutes to make his point. He therefore intones and modulates: "No impeachment proceedingssss (emphasizes the sss, explaining "plural po, eh"). Ayyy. To the bathroom, batman! When I come back, Roman still orating as if in Roman times: "It is the HOUSE!! that initiates the proceedings. Let us not LOOOK at when the impeachment date was filed. How can the ten minutes be significant? Mr. Chairman, that is why I abstained!" SOS! Abstained ka pala eh. Sana tumahimik ka na lang.
• Alan Peter Cayetano begins by quoting the bible, specifically Matthew 18:3. "What if we were children and not politicians?" (miron hears entire nation snicker) " Suppression of truth is equivalent to false representation." Ah Crap, More rhetoric. I'm disappointed. Boksing na Alan Peter and yet I've yet to see you connect with a body blow. You just keep circling the ring!!!
• OH GOD. I go to a meeting and when I come back: WALKOUT. Barbers motioned for Dinky to be called to "shed light" on the issue. Datumanong objected to that and called the matter to a vote. Suddenly the oppositon heads for the exit.
• Barbers: We had to get out the room because we did not want to follow anymore whatever procedure that they had. Why are they in such a hurry to finish the proceedings?
• Ricky Carandang: what's the tactical move now?
• Barbers: We have to sit down tonight. And plan it out. I don't have the slightest idea what we'll do tomorrow. (great. just great)
• Ricky Carandang: Since congress is technically still in session and has a quorum, the majority can essentially vote on this matter now.
• Barbers: Yes.... why would we participate in a moro moro?
• Libanan: Barbers was supposed to be the last one to speak in the debate, so what could happened was to terminate the debate after him. But instead of participating in the debate, Barbers presented a summon to present Dinky Soliman. The Chair felt it was an improper order. So Barbers should have appealed the ruling of the chair, but he did not.
• Ricky Carandang: Was this just a stunt?
• Libanan: "This was definitely not a stunt. Emotions are running high..." (footage shows live shots of lots of people laughing, smiling while doing the thumbs down sign)..."We are not enjoying this."
• Scuffle breaks out outside the lower house. Someone being pushed outside by security.
• From inq7:
  

  MEMBERS of the opposition bloc at the House of Representatives walked out of the hearing on the impeachment complaints against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after the justice committee announced that it would stop the debates and vote on which of the three impeachment complaints would be recognized.

  Actress Susan Roces who was at the gallery also left the session hall, television footage showed. Howls of protest from a largely pro-impeachment audience accompanied the walkout, as pieces of paper were thrown in the air, the same footage showed.

• Minority holds a press conference. Calls the hearings a sham. I see Alan Peter Cayetano, Edmund Reyes, Casino, Imee, Riza Hontiveros Baraquiel, Darlene... (please don't let her talk), where's Chiz? Casino predictably explains the walkout: "Ayaw namin ng botohan dahil ang original Lozano complaint is a Palace sham." Sham! cries this Shazam generation!
• Darlene talking argh.. effect on miron...just like kryptonite...am feeling weak... embarassed...must...crawl...under...rock...

Live Coverage of a slow death

• Roll Call starts at 1pm. Somebody OBJECTS to the roll call, a perfect start for miron's slow death coverage.
• Ricky Carandang kills time by giving great backgrounder and describing clothes of congressmen. Karmina... well, Karmina kills time by just being Karmina
• Miron kills time by looking at other blogs. Looks like the opposition has issued its warning -- kill this and you will see a walk out, more street protests, mass movements of Erap second envelop proportions. Bunch of cry babies. Just get to work already.
• Hearing resumes at 1:10pm. "We have to resolve the issue of whether or not to go with the first second or third complaint..."  of course congressman takes forever to belabor this point.
• Congressman Paras butts in with "This is really not important..." sheez. "in paragraph 16, we're not talking about 6 horses but 3 horses." HORSES? WHAT HORSES?!!!
• Butz Aquino refers committee to full page ad "Trial by Error" in PDI, says they have to decide with national stability in mind, rise above party affiliations, blahblahblah. Butz we should boot you out. I wish this were Big Brother where we can give congress stuff we want them to do then kick out underperformers and overacters.
• Teddboy: "Congress time does not run on people's time..." You got that right. Teddyboy puts something on the table. Recommends they consolidate Lozano complaint with minority complaint as bill of particulars. "Minority complaint comes from one of us in the house and should be granted fair consideration." 
• Abalos: "Everybody is quoting Bernas..." then proceeds to quote Bernas some more. "Kung meron ng pangalawang beripikadong reklamo, eto ay di na pwedeng tanggapin..."
• Dumpit: "We should admire the president for allowing herself to be subjected to the process. We are duty bound to make this sure this process is observed. However this process is bound by rules! (elaborates on rules) I strongly believe we should consider the Lozano complaint first without prejudice to the other complaints." Spoken like a true politician.
• Motion to resolve prejudicial questions by putting matter to a vote.
• Voted down by Chiz.
• SUSPENDED for one minute giving Karmina no time to kill time. Karen Bayhon replaces her when hearing resumes. And not a moment too soon.
• VOTING IN FAVOR OF MOTION. CONGRESSMEN IN FAVOR: 54
• THOSE AGAINST: 24
• ABSTAIN: 2
• SUSPENDED FOR 5 MINUTES. Opposition passing around peach roses. If those things have no thorns, I can assure them those won't hurt the majority
• Ricky Carandang: This is the first defeat for the opposition. What's interesting? Fencesitters forced to reveal what side they are on. Andaya is a yes. Lopez is a yes. Minority uncertain on what steps to take at this point. They don't seem to be taking steps towards the exit. Nope. A lot of milling about. No walkout in sight.
• Allan Cayetano spins and tries to hypnotize us: administration wants to shorten this process and kill it. Brings up Gloria low trust ratings. Impeachment is her chance to be judged by public. Says that Bernas says one proceeding tackling all 3 complaints not barred by the constitution. I am getting hypnotized...

Here is the much quoted column of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J

Having seen the broad meaning of "betrayal of public trust," we next look at what the Constitution prohibits. It prohibits the initiation of more than one "impeachment proceeding." It does not necessarily prohibit more than one complaint. More than one complaint would be prohibited only if the multiple complaints would require more than "one proceeding." But if they can be logically and conveniently combined into one proceeding, there would be no violation of the Constitution.

In the current controversy, the so-called "amended complaint" and the Lopez complaint, both transmitted on the same day to the Justice Committee together with the Lozano complaint, are nothing more than "bills of particulars" to accompany the Lozano complaint. They both elaborate on the one constitutional offense of "betrayal of public trust." For constitutional purposes, therefore, what is being initiated is only "one proceeding involving one complaint but with an extended bill of particulars."

I can understand, however, why the President's defenders argue the way they do. They must realize that if the "bill of particulars" is elevated to the Senate, the President will be tarred and feathered and be made to squirm. I guess we must bemoan the conclusion that the presidential defenders and their client do not wish to face the music.

• 3:12pm and still suspended. Slow death continues.
• Proceedings resume. But miron temporarily signing off. I'm tossing to inq7's running coverage.

IN OTHER NEWS-- and this should wake you up: Sharia court flogs women found guilty of gambling in Aceh, Indonesia. Reuters shows video of women being caned and flogged outside a mosque as people watch.
Expect more rain in Metro Manila as tropical storm strengthens.