Nograles refers impeach raps vs Arroyo to House rules committee
By WILLARD CHENG, ABS-CBN News | 11/10/2008 4:45 PM
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Speaker Prospero Nograles on Monday referred to the House Committee on Rules the verified complaint for the impeachment of President Arroyo.
Nograles made the referral without waiting for the ten-day period provided by the Rules.
"Let's do it swiftly but very judiciously. We have to follow the rules to the letter. The hearings will be public and transparent."
The Rules Committee would now have to include the impeachment complaint in the Order of Business of the lower chamber with the plenary to formally refer it to the House Committee on Justice.
Quezon City 3rd district Rep. Matias Defensor, Justice Committee chair, said the House Justice Committee may start to deliberate on the complaint's form and substance next week since the rules require a five-day period after invitations have been sent out to committee members before hearings can start.
Defensor said tackling the complaint would be "a top priority" since the House has other matters to attend to. Besides, he said, with the lengthy period that would be consumed if the committee finds the complaint sufficient in substance, "we will be impeaching a president who is already not in office or with a few months left in office."
Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano meantime endorsed the impeachment complaint before the House Secretary General. He said he is endorsing the complaint on behalf of the farmers who he said were victims of the fertilizer fund scam, which was included as one of the grounds of the impeachment complaint.
