MANILA, Philippines—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Wednesday took a jab at the personalities behind a fresh impeachment complaint against her, accusing them of destabilizing the country.

The President commented on the complaint for the first time while praising local chief executives from the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) for their steadfast support.

“You are at the frontlines of progress, peace and stability...unlike others who still want to destabilize our nation,” she said in Filipino at the oath-taking of new ULAP officers in Malacañang.

“I’m thankful that we’re on the same side against those who still cling to the politics of destabilization,” she continued.

The new impeachment move, the fourth in the past four years, was filed by businessman Jose de Venecia III, the son of the former House speaker, together with three mothers who believe government forces are responsible for the disappearance of their children. The complaint accuses Ms Arroyo of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Ms Arroyo also thanked ULAP officers and members for calling for a stop to politicking in the face of the global economic slowdown.

“I look to you, local government executives to be the frontline examples of good governance and I look to you to continue to be a bastion of support,” she said toward the end of her speech.

Before the President spoke, ULAP president Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin “Ben Hur” Abalos Jr. announced that the group had passed a resolution Tuesday night urging Congress to reject the complaint.

Local leaders agreed that it was “wise that the impeachment should take a backseat, and instead all energy should be focused to shield this country from the global economic crisis,” Abalos said before introducing the President.

Abalos is the son of the former head of the Commission of Elections, Benjamin Abalos, who resigned from his post last year after the young De Venecia told a Senate hearing that the election chief had offered him a $10-million bribe to withdraw his bid for the controversial National Broadband Network (NBN) project.

The $329-million NBN deal with the ZTE group of China, which the elder Abalos reportedly brokered, is among the anomalies listed in the impeachment complaint.

“Impeachment is a political exercise. It’s bound to fail,” added Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Ray Villafuerte, whose father is the president of Ms Arroyo’s party, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi, Partner of Free Filipinos).

Meanwhile, the House minority bloc on Wednesday agreed to back up the impeachment complaint.

Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora said the complaint would finally allow Congress to present evidence of the President’s role in corrupt state transactions, election fraud and the extra-judicial killings. These points were blocked due to technicalities in the previous impeachment cases, he said.

Minority members in attendance at the meeting in a restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan City, included Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez, Joel Villanueva, Teodoro Casiño, Liza Masa, Riza Hontiveros, Darlene Antonino-Custodio, Teofisto Guingona III and Didagen Dilangalen.