Dismissal of impeachment complaint gives GMA license to continue violating the Constitution

"Mrs. Arroyo was given another license to continue killing, abducting, torturing and illegally imprisoning her critics and innocent civilians and to plunder the Filipino people's resources," Rep. Luz Ilagan of the Gabriela Women's Party lamented after the latest impeachment complaint she endorsed was "killed".

Ilagan believes that the fear of the overwhelming evidence against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented in the House Committee on Justice during the Recital of Facts pushed administration Congressmen to dismiss the complaint on Wednesday.

"It is easy to see that the complaint is sufficient in substance. Each one of the grounds presented to the public – betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and bribery – stands alone and constitutes a probable cause to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

One of them is the "Special Authority" document issued by Malacanang on July 12, 2006 which Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan holds as proof of the President's direct involvement in the disadvantageous ZTE-Diwalwal mining deal, disproving anti-impeachment Congressmen's allegation on Tuesday that the complaint consists of fabricated stories from hearsay.

The document, signed by the President herself and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita designates and authorizes Department of Trade and Industry Sec. Peter Favila "to negotiate, conclude and sign, for and on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippine Government and the ZTE International Investment Limited (ZTE INT'L)...Secretary Favila is further granted full powers and authority to do and perform every act and thing which may be requisite and necessary to be done for the accomplishment of the special authority herein granted..."

"This is aside from the fact that Pres. Arroyo was the one who personally closed the $904.38 million, five-project deal with ZTE on April 21, 2007 in China," Ilagan said. The document, according to the Mindanaoan solon, "also proves that Pres. Arroyo's herself secretly gave away billions of dollars worth of the country's gold and copper to the Chinese company."

"Secretly", because the MOU requires that the agreement be kept from the knowledge of the Filipino people," Ilagan said, referring to Section 3.2 of the MOU.

"Mrs. Arroyo betrayed public trust and committed culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution, particularly the principle of transparency and the right of people to information." Also by signing the MOU, Pres. Arroyo violated the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, which states that foreign mining firms should acquire a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement from the Philippine government, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, the progressive women's party-list representative also noted that House Committee on Justice Chair Matias Defensor's show of fatherly affections to son Michael Defensor – whose Geograce company is said to be the company selected by ZTE for the Diwalwal mining project – was outside of his responsibilities as a lawmaker and presiding officer of the impeachment proceedings. She said that he abused the power granted to him by the people when he acted like a "judge" and declared his son as "innocent" without the "case" undergoing "trial".