Lawyer to withdraw Arroyo impeach case in favor of UNO

The author of the so-called "impeach me" bid against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed willingness to withdraw his impeachment complaint to make way for a possibly stronger one from the United Opposition. Lawyer Roberto Rafael Pulido said Wednesday he is open to withdrawing or amending the complaint he lodged before the House of Representatives last October 5. "I just don't know why they waited until the last minute to decide to file a case. Nevertheless, the important thing is that the case will push through," he said in Filipino on dzEC radio. Some critics had branded Pulido's complaint as "weak," while others claimed it was meant to "inoculate" President Arroyo from impeachment for at least one more year. Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran claimed last week that lawyer Francis Ver approached the former and offered P2 million in exchange for endorsing an impeachment complaint. After Beltran's revelation, Ver was removed as deputy secretary general of the administration's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party. House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr previously delegated the task of referring the Pulido complaint to the House rules committee to Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar. Citing a possible conflict of interest, the House Speaker said the articles of the three-page impeachment complaint were aimed at him and his son, Jose III. The Pulido complaint centered on the controversy surrounding the $329.4-million ZTE broadband deal. Jose III claimed that he was offered $10 million so the ZTE deal can push through. Pulido, who denied he came up with an intentionally weak impeachment bid, said he is confident the United Opposition can come up with a much stronger complaint. Interviewed earlier in the day, UNO spokesman Ernesto Maceda said Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez was poised to file before the Supreme Court a petition seeking to nullify the impeachment complaint lodged by Pulido. Maceda, a former senator, said Rodriguez will question in particular the propriety of allowing Del Mar to refer the complaint to the House justice committee, a role assigned only to the Speaker. - GMANews.TV