Lewinsky scandal to provide impeach rules

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Senate will be taking its cue from l’affaire Monica Lewinsky once the House passes to it the articles of impeachment against President Estrada.

Incoming House justice committee chairman Rep. Oscar Rodriguez told The STAR yesterday that the Senate does not have impeachment rules yet.

"Impeachment is something that was not initially envisioned in the Senate (until the exposé of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson)," Rodriguez said.

He, however, said the Senate is likely to adopt the impeachment rules of the US Senate during the Monica Lewinsky scandal against President Bill Clinton.

In the middle of his last term, Clinton was also the subject of impeachment proceedings in the US Congress after he went on national television to deny ever knowing Lewinsky, a former White House intern who admitted to having had sex with him.

The US House of Representatives impeached Clinton but the US Senate, voting across party lines, cleared him later.

But with Mr. Estrada facing more than sexual indiscretion charges, Rodriguez expressed confidence that the impeachment move would probably prosper for conviction after a month or even less of hearings in the House, and another month in the Senate.

"It will still be a question of numbers, but recent developments indicate that even this should no longer pose difficulty for the impeachment proposal," he said.

Rep. Neptali Gonzalez Jr. has already resigned his justice committee chairmanship, paving the way for Rodriguez to take over the post that will preside over the impeachment hearings.

Rodriguez said he still expects some congressmen loyal to Mr. Estrada to employ delaying tactics.

"I expect them to question the substance and form of the impeachment proposal, and probably also question the insufficiency of numbers (of those who signed the impeachment move) for purposes of endorsing it to the House as a whole," he said.

Rodriguez noted that while more than 100 congressmen have signed the impeachment article, some may have affixed their signatures to mere copies of the document and not the one officially submitted to the justice committee.

"If this (delaying tactics) happens, then it may take about a month for the committee to hear the arguments and counter-arguments of the complainants (those who filed for impeachment) and the respondents (those defending Mr. Estrada)," he explained.

But Rodriguez said the process could be done away with if the complainants simply amend their complaint to include the other signatures. Some 73 signatures, or one-third of all congressmen, are needed before the House can forward an impeachment resolution to the committee on rules.

The resolution, he said, would then be presented to the House in a general assembly for final approval.

Rodriguez said that he would order the arrest of congressmen who attempt to further delay the approval of the impeachment proposal by not attending the plenary session.

"A plenary session would also be needed for the appointment of 11 lawyer-congressmen who would act as prosecutors to pursue the impeachment case at the Senate," Rodriguez said.

He noted that in the Lewinsky case, the US Senate appointed some members as "managers" acting as prosecutors in the impeachment of Clinton.

"Clinton’s advisers opted to just present evidences before the US Senate so as to spare the US President from appearing during the hearings," he said.

Rodriguez said Mr. Estrada is also likely to adopt the same strategy to escape cross-examination.

"Mapapatid siya (He will stumble), if cross-examined," he said, adding the Senate may in due time muster the 16 votes needed for a conviction.

"I expect only four senators to remain against impeachment," Rodriguez said, naming Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Francisco Tatad, Blas Ople and Vicente Sotto III.

"It’s easier now for Senate President (Franklin) Drilon to deal with the impeachment move now that he has resigned from LAMP," he said. "This will fast-track the impeachment."

Last Thursday, Rodriguez also bolted LAMP "as a matter of principle and conscience." He was among those who were reported to have convinced Speaker Manuel Villar to leave the administration party.

"I told him to act immediately and decisively, and warned that otherwise, LAMP members would bolt individually (instead of collectively under Villar)," he said.

Rodriguez cited to Villar two reasons for leaving LAMP: for the sake of both country and history, and the opportunity for the House to improve its image.