Impeachment 2: 'Batasan 5' solons file 7th case vs Arroyo

The Batasan 5 party-list congressmen on Wednesday morning filed the seventh impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before the House of Representatives. Eight organizations and 182 individuals signed the latest impeachment complaint, the third one submitted this week by non-government and religious organizations. House Deputy Minority Leader Satur Ocampo, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza endorsed the citizen's complaint lodged before the office of House Secretary General Roberto Nazareno. Signing the complaint were representatives from the consumer advocacy group TXTPower, Anakpawis, indigenous people's organization KAMP, Health Alliance for Democracy, Migrante International, National Food Authority Employees Association, the Negros Movement for Moral Regeneration, Bayan-Negros and Karapatan-Negros. The signatories said the seventh complaint plugged the "last legal loophole" in the impeachment process against Mrs. Arroyo. House Speaker Jose de Venecia on Tuesday referred the first six impeachment bids this year against President Arroyo to the House Committee on Justice. Leading the citizen-complainants were the family members and relatives of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan, the missing University of the Philippines (UP) students who were allegedly abducted by government soldiers in Bulacan on June 26. Militant groups believe the abductors were under the command of Major Gen. Jovito Palparan, the controversial leader of the Army 7th Infantry Division. Activist groups have accused Palparan of summarily executing hundreds of their members in Mindoro and Central Luzon. But the President even praised the controversial military general during her state of the nation address Monday for purportedly doing a good job in fighting communist rebels. Other citizen-complainants included activists from various groups comprising the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), lawyers, Protestant bishops and pastors and a Roman Catholic priest. Government personnel, a retired Army colonel, local government officials, vendors of fruits and meat, public school teachers and university professors, doctors and health students, overseas Filipino workers, student leaders, and victims of other human rights violations under the Arroyo administration also signed the complaint. -GMANews.TV Please see related story: Impeachment 2: 6 complaints referred to House justice panel Over 1,000 Cibac members back 6th impeach rap