Teddy Boy: House impeach hearings killed truth

MANILA, Philippines - Makati Rep. Teddy Boy Locsin on Tuesday branded the impeachment hearings conducted by the House committee on Justice last month as a "contraception" aimed at thwarting the truth from coming out. Speaking before a plenary session at the House of Representatives, Locsin said the anti-impeachment congressmen killed the complaint so that the public may never know if the allegation hurdled against the President were viable or not. “What happened in the justice committee was not an abortion of truth but its contraception so that we shall now never know if the allegations ejaculated by the proponents of this impeachment were viable or not," he added. The complaint, which was dismissed by the committee after a 42-8 vote, was endorsed by seven lawmakers, namely, Bayan Muna representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, Gabriela representatives Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III, and former House Speaker and Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. The complaint accuses the President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and graft and corruption based on alleged irregularities in the Arroyo administration. These are the ZTE national broadband network mess, the government's allegedly disadvantageous memorandum of understanding with ZTE over the Diwalwal mining site, the Hello Garci scandal, the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, the Quedancor mess, the alleged human rights violations under the Arroyo administration, and the alleged bribery of congressmen last year. Locsin said what transpired at the panel’s hearing last month was “that a condom was put over its probes so that even the possibility of truth was prevented -- the truth that may have justified these [issues]," Locsin said. As of posting, interpellations are ongoing at the lower House, with congressmen expected to deliberate until Tuesday midnight or early Wednesday morning before finally voting on the fate of the complaint. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV