JDV part of oust Davide plot — Arroyo

Sen. Joker Arroyo accused Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. yesterday of being part of a conspiracy to oust Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

"Speaker De Venecia is feigning ignorance on this. I think nobody believes him. An important resolution like that cannot move in the House fast without the collusion of the Speaker," the former Makati congressman told a news conference.

He reiterated that Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) founder Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. was behind the impeach-Davide move and that Cojuangco found allies in President Arroyo and De Venecia, the two top leaders of the ruling Lakas.

"Mr. Cojuangco is no longer running and is throwing his financial backing to the President, who is the candidate of Lakas in next year’s elections," he said.

Arroyo said the President’s attendance in the Supreme Court’s flag-raising ceremony yesterday morning was "curative to show that she was not a party to it."

"It’s ironic that we went there after the damage has already been done," he said.

In accusing De Venecia of being among those behind the move to oust Davide, Arroyo, a House member for nine years before becoming senator in 2001, said nothing important moves or takes place in the "De Venecia House" without the knowledge of the Speaker.

He said the impeachment complaints against former Ombudsman Aniano Desierto and Commission on Elections Commissioner Luzviminda Tancangco were "killed because the Speaker put his foot down."

"Those were worse cases than the accusation against the Chief Justice. And yet because of collusion among these key players, the impeachment petition mustered the required signatures of one-third of all House members in less than three days," he said.

He revealed that he has information that many of those who signed the petition have dealership deals with San Miguel Corp., meaning they are exclusive distributors of San Miguel products in their districts or provinces.

"They supported the complaint because of their business and financial interests," he said.

The former Estrada impeachment prosecutor pointed out that if the petition against Davide were allowed to prosper, it would serve as a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of Supreme Court justices.

"It means that a business tycoon who does not like a Supreme Court decision can get or buy supporters in the House to abuse the congressional power of impeachment and impeach the Chief Justice or several justices. We should not allow that to happen," he said.

In a related development, Sen. Ralph Recto said the move of NPC and Lakas congressmen to impeach Davide "has exposed the weakness and the frailty of a single chamber legislature."

"It is a strong argument against a parliamentary form of government, which Speaker Jose de Venecia and his colleagues and even the President are pushing hard for," he said.

Recto said the ease and speed by which NPC and Lakas members impeached Davide have made even people in favor of a parliamentary system wary of giving political and legislative power to a parliament.

This episode shows that a dictatorship of one party or two parties colluding with each other will rule a unicameral legislature, he stressed.