Ex-NPAs back Aquino vs impeachment

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—A legislator representing a partylist group, composed mostly of former communist rebels, declared the support of the so-called Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives to President Aquino and against a move to impeach him.

Rep. Stephen Paduano, who used the alias Carapali Lualhati as a national commander for the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), said 34 congressmen from the Visayas would not support the impeachment complaints filed against Mr. Aquino for violating the Constitution through the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

RPA-ABB members joined politics when it formed the Abang Lingkod party-list group, which Paduano now represents in the House.

Deals

The group had entered into a peace deal with the government under former President Joseph Estrada, a pardoned plunder convict, and finalized the deal under the Aquino administration. The deal gave the group funding for projects.

“With only more than one year left for Aquino in office, his impeachment would not benefit the Filipino people,” said Paduano.

President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO

He said while the Supreme Court ruled several acts committed through DAP as unconstitutional, it acknowledged that there was good faith in the constitutional violations.

“The money did not go to the pockets of Aquino,” said Paduano. “It (DAP) was not abused,” he said.

Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia, another Aquino supporter who belongs to the Visayan bloc, said the impeachment complaint would not go far because most congressmen believe in the honesty, integrity and competence of the President.

Premature

He said it is also premature to talk about impeachment when the high court has yet to rule on Malacañang’s motion for reconsideration.

On Monday, antipork groups filed an impeachment complaint against Mr. Aquino, seeking his removal from office for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust through DAP.

Two priests in Bacolod City expressed support for the impeachment complaint.

Msgr. Victorino Rivas, rector of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine in Bacolod City, said he supports the impeachment proceeding if only to determine who is right or wrong.

“The impeachment should not really be to harass the President but to establish the truth about DAP, and so good faith in its implementation can be scrutinized,” Rivas said.

Respect for law

Fr. Felix Pasquin, rector of San Sebastian Cathedral, said he personally favors the move to impeach the President because the Constitution was violated.

The President is supposed to defend the Constitution, he said.

“The reproductive health controversy between the Church and the President is still fresh on our minds. If the President could not respect God’s law on the sacredness of life, can we expect him to respect the integrity of the separation of powers in a democratic government?” he said.