Moro-Moro
I know that Adel Tamano will not take kindly to the title in this post but there just seems to be no appropriate word for the proceeding that occurred yesterday in the House Justice Committee when it dismissed the Tamano complaint. In deference to Adel who is a Muslim, I could have called it a farce or a staged show but none comes close to aptly describe the stench that filled the proceedings in Matt Defensor's Justice Committee.
The dismissal was to be expected. A few days before Adel filed his supplemental pleading, Congressman Ronnie Zamora met with civil society groups and representatives of the opposition and told them bluntly that Congressman Defensor was giving the Pulido impeachment complaint two weeks of air time and then, they will lower the boom. What he also told them was that the House will never allow a supplemental or an amended complaint. What we saw yesterday was the moro-moro script at work.
The dismissal was expected. Adel knew that the complaint was going to be dismissed but hoped that civic conscience, the principles of accountability and good government would convince the majority congressmen to allow the supplemental pleading. After all, the Francisco case was vague on those issues and a fair reading of the House Rules, and I mean a fair reading, would have allowed supplemental pleadings to be filed.
In typical lapdog fashion, Matt Defensor rejected outright the supplemental complaint, claiming in an ANC interview that in a long line of Supreme Court cases, the constitution only allows one impeachment complaint a year. Well, for the life of me, I tried to research on his so called list of cases rendered by the Supreme Court and I could only find one - the Francisco case. And I also looked at American jurisprudence and I could find none. Matt Defensor must have been so fawning in his defense of his President that he went out of his way to claim the myriad non-existent cases on impeachment. I thought his son Mike Defensor was already the epitome of a bootlicker. The dad is much worse, he even invents jurisprudence! Which makes him a more foolish fool and nothing but!
The truth is, the Justice Committee has been compromised since October 11 when the majority congressmen trooped to the Palace to partake of what Manolo Quezon calls the cash bar buffet in Malacanang.
But I think the opposition congressmen failed to make of a golden opportunity to pounce and taunt their peers in Congress. When Congresswoman Trisha Bonoan David railed against being included as those who received money from the Palace, Congressman Guingona should have immediately and individually asked the other members of the Justice Committee this question: "How about you Congressman So and So, nakatanggap ka ba ng pera sa bahay ni Ate Glo?" Let each one of them respond or obfuscate the question. It would have been worthwhile to see these honest and hardworking congressmen deny accepting "Christmas gift" or "Kampi donation" before the public.
Unfortunately, none of the opposition congressmen wanted to rock the boat. And the golden opportunity passed. That was not moro-moro on the part of the opposition congressmen. They just forgot to "carpe diem".
And so, we are cursed with listening to Matt Defensor repeat his mantra. Do not give much hope to holding the Pulido complaint sufficient in substance. Sufficient in form merely means it was properly verified and endorsed by an administration congressman. But even on that score, Matt Defensor does not know his law. To verify an impeachment complaint means that the congressman believes that the allegation is true and correct of his own knowledge or based on authentic records. But Congressman Egay San Luis was heard on record to have said that he does not the truth and he wants to know the truth. In short, poor Egay gaily signed an impeachment complaint which he does believe to true, yet. I dont know where Matt took up his Civil Procedure but I'm sure he did not take up law in the best law school in Rockwell.
The impeachment case is hopeless not because of the lack of political will of those who believe GMA is guilty but the lack of political courage of the majority congressmen who sold their votes for a pottage.
The great tragedy is that people believe we should allow the president to stay on till 2010. How sure are we that she is going to step down?
The dismissal was to be expected. A few days before Adel filed his supplemental pleading, Congressman Ronnie Zamora met with civil society groups and representatives of the opposition and told them bluntly that Congressman Defensor was giving the Pulido impeachment complaint two weeks of air time and then, they will lower the boom. What he also told them was that the House will never allow a supplemental or an amended complaint. What we saw yesterday was the moro-moro script at work.
The dismissal was expected. Adel knew that the complaint was going to be dismissed but hoped that civic conscience, the principles of accountability and good government would convince the majority congressmen to allow the supplemental pleading. After all, the Francisco case was vague on those issues and a fair reading of the House Rules, and I mean a fair reading, would have allowed supplemental pleadings to be filed.
In typical lapdog fashion, Matt Defensor rejected outright the supplemental complaint, claiming in an ANC interview that in a long line of Supreme Court cases, the constitution only allows one impeachment complaint a year. Well, for the life of me, I tried to research on his so called list of cases rendered by the Supreme Court and I could only find one - the Francisco case. And I also looked at American jurisprudence and I could find none. Matt Defensor must have been so fawning in his defense of his President that he went out of his way to claim the myriad non-existent cases on impeachment. I thought his son Mike Defensor was already the epitome of a bootlicker. The dad is much worse, he even invents jurisprudence! Which makes him a more foolish fool and nothing but!
The truth is, the Justice Committee has been compromised since October 11 when the majority congressmen trooped to the Palace to partake of what Manolo Quezon calls the cash bar buffet in Malacanang.
But I think the opposition congressmen failed to make of a golden opportunity to pounce and taunt their peers in Congress. When Congresswoman Trisha Bonoan David railed against being included as those who received money from the Palace, Congressman Guingona should have immediately and individually asked the other members of the Justice Committee this question: "How about you Congressman So and So, nakatanggap ka ba ng pera sa bahay ni Ate Glo?" Let each one of them respond or obfuscate the question. It would have been worthwhile to see these honest and hardworking congressmen deny accepting "Christmas gift" or "Kampi donation" before the public.
Unfortunately, none of the opposition congressmen wanted to rock the boat. And the golden opportunity passed. That was not moro-moro on the part of the opposition congressmen. They just forgot to "carpe diem".
And so, we are cursed with listening to Matt Defensor repeat his mantra. Do not give much hope to holding the Pulido complaint sufficient in substance. Sufficient in form merely means it was properly verified and endorsed by an administration congressman. But even on that score, Matt Defensor does not know his law. To verify an impeachment complaint means that the congressman believes that the allegation is true and correct of his own knowledge or based on authentic records. But Congressman Egay San Luis was heard on record to have said that he does not the truth and he wants to know the truth. In short, poor Egay gaily signed an impeachment complaint which he does believe to true, yet. I dont know where Matt took up his Civil Procedure but I'm sure he did not take up law in the best law school in Rockwell.
The impeachment case is hopeless not because of the lack of political will of those who believe GMA is guilty but the lack of political courage of the majority congressmen who sold their votes for a pottage.
The great tragedy is that people believe we should allow the president to stay on till 2010. How sure are we that she is going to step down?
posted by Edwin Lacierda | 3:22 AM
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