The truth always prevails....

On August 31, the House Committee on Justice, utilizing the massive voting power of the administration bloc, threw out all three impeachment complaints filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The latter two complaints (one filed by Jose Lopez on July 4, and the other, an amended version of the complaint filed by Oliver Lozano, filed on July 25) were junked on the basis that they were barred by the filing of the first impeachment complaint (filed by Oliver Lozano on June 27). The original Lozano complaint was later dismissed, after it was voted on to be "grossly insufficient in substance."

Opposition lawmakers are still scrambling to get the 79 signatures required in order to elevate the complaint to the Senate by early next week, but as far as the Justice Committee and members of the majority are concerned, the complaints are, for all intents and purposes, dead as a doorknob.

If you're like me, hungry for the truth, the events in Congress during the past few days are truly disappointing and leave a bad taste in the mouth. While I may not be necessarily strongly for nor against the President, I truly believe that she should be held to answer for the allegations that she allegedly cheated in last year's elections as supposedly evidenced by the controversial "Hello Garci" recordings.

She has admitted and even apologized for her supposed "lapses in judgement," but no apology can free her from liability from any wrongdoing, if indeed there was any. And the circumstances seem to point in that direction. There are recordings which establish the premise, inadmissible in court or not, that she was without a doubt in contact with a COMELEC Commissioner. Virgilio Garcillano, the COMELEC Commissioner the President was allegedly conversing with in the recordings, is in hiding. It goes without saying that an innocent man does not go into hiding. The President has expressed her willingness time and time again to prove her innocence in the manner provided for by law, that is, through impeachment proceedings. However, members of the House loyal to her have clearly flexed the strength of their numbers to protect their matriarch by dismissing the complaints. Can you not see a pattern here?

It doesn't take a genius to realize that the President clearly does not want to be subjected to impeachment, her statements to the contrary notwithstanding. Administration solons are more concerned about party loyalties and seeking favor with her Excellency rather than getting to the bottom of things. These controversies have eroded what little trust the people had in her. She has to earn back that trust if she is still to be an effective President. Unfortunately, these political maneuverings being resorted to by her allies in order to help her avoid liability are not helping her credibility one bit. One would think that she would welcome the opportunity to clear her name, but alas...

It is a sad day for Philippine democracy when the institutions and political processes that we have established to ensure the integrity of our leaders have failed miserably, not because the institutions themselves are flawed, but because of the less than honorable intentions of those who walk their hallowed halls.

But they left out one thing. The truth always prevails. Sometimes it may take time, but the truth will come out sooner or later. This is not a threat, a prediction, or a mere wishful thought. It is an inevitability. Just wait and see.

Quaere Verum.

Links:

President's men uphold Lozano case, then kill it
Impeach advocates pin hopes on ‘79’
Atty. Punzi's Blog Lecture No. 6: Impeachment