Impeach solons counting on De Venecia
He is most ‘credible witness’
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:17:00 11/20/2008
Filed Under: Graft & Corruption, NBN deal, Impeachment
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Pro-impeachment advocates in the House of Representatives are counting on former Speaker Jose de Venecia to be the "hero" rather than the "heel" on Monday when he is expected to appear at the impeachment hearing at the House of Representatives, describing him as the "most credible witness."
The justice committee cancelled the hearings scheduled Thursday and Friday to allow the opposition to prepare for the "recital of facts" on Monday that would enable lawmakers to determine if the complaint filed by De Venecia's son, Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, was sufficient in substance.
The House committee on justice ruled that the De Venecia complaint was sufficient in form while rejecting three others, including a motion for intervention that sought to include the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain among the charges against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
De Venecia's lawyer, Raul Lambino, said the Pangasinan congressman would attend Monday's hearing after which he would leave for Jakarta Tuesday for a speaking engagement.
Bayan Muna partylist Representative Teodoro Casiño said De Venecia, who also endorsed the complaint, would "definitely play a crucial role" in the proceedings.
"The impeachment needs a hero and JDV [De Venecia’s initial] can be that hero but that will all depend on him, if he wants to be that hero or he wants to be the heel, he's in that very special situation now, so I hope he realizes that," Casiño said in an interview after attending a forum in Quezon City.
"JDV will definitely play a crucial role but that will depend how far he is willing to go to let the whole truth come out, it will depend on how far he is willing to sacrifice his personal safety and his personal circumstance, so it puts him is a very difficult situation and it's good that we have several days also for the [former] Speaker to really consider his options, kumbaga [like] in a way this will be a moment of truth for JDV," Casiño said.
Minority Floor Leader Ronaldo Zamora said De Venecia would make a presentation on either the national broadband network agreement or the North Rail project but Casiño said the Pangasinan lawmaker could talk about other charges.
"It will be very hard for him to be limited to just one issue, so we are looking at the possibility that he will be allowed to speak in his personal capacity on several issues," Casiño said.
He added that De Venecia would not be "just a simple presentor … because he was intimately involved in many of the issues."
Asked what De Venecia might say during the hearing, Casiño said they did not know yet, adding that the former House leader is "keeping his cards close to his chest."
Meanwhile, Zamora said De Venecia was the "most credible witness" because he had knowledge of these projects.
"The most credible witness is the witness who speaks against himself first and his own interest, who points to himself before he points to others. Credibility is often a matter of talking against yourself ahead of anybody else," Zamora told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
In a separate interview, Deputy minority leader and Bayan Muna partylist Representative Satur Ocampo said De Venecia's statements could be the "most potent" in the impeachment case against the President because of his involvement in the broadband agreement.
He also said the minority got a commitment from De Venecia that he would show up on Monday to speak at the hearing.
Pro-impeachment lawmakers are now gearing up for Monday's proceedings where the endorsers will each make a presentation of the charges.
Initially, Ocampo said he would focus on human rights violations, De Venecia on NBN-ZTE contract or Northrail project, Gabriela partylist Representative Liza Maza on bribery of congressmen and local officials, Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, and Representative Teofisto Guingona III on allegations of cheating in the May 2004 election. Bayan Muna partylist Representative Teodoro Casiño will also make a presentation.
After the recital of facts by the opposition on Monday, anti-impeachment lawmakers will make a reply at another hearing on Tuesday.
Representative Matias Defensor, justice committee chairman, said he expected the voting on the sufficiency of substance to take place by Wednesday.
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