Opposition doubling efforts to get magic ‘79’ endorsers

The "creeping impeachment" sought by the opposition — through the gradual gathering of 79 signatures to send its charges of "lying, cheating and stealing" against President Arroyo to the Senate for trial — shifted into high gear yesterday.

House Deputy Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, the opposition‘s impeachment spokesman, told reporters that they are doubling their efforts to recruit additional endorsers in the wake of "apparent moves on the part of the President and her allies to send our charges contained in the amended complaint to the graveyard."

He said impeachment petitioners received a much-needed boost when four members of the majority bloc and a party-list representative joined their ranks on Tuesday night.

"That decision of our five colleagues, the misuse of the road users’ tax and pronouncements on the part of the President’s allies that they will kill the amended complaint are turning the tide for us," he said.

He revealed that since Tuesday, several majority members had approached the opposition either wanting to sign an endorsement of the petition or expressing their intention to endorse it once they see the evidence.

"So these are two groups — one composed of those who are signing without any reservation or condition, and the other composed of those who are willing to sign once they see the voluminous evidence we have to support our charges of lying, cheating and stealing," he added.

Commenting on Cayetano’s remarks, Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said the claim that more administration supporters among his colleagues were ready to endorse the opposition’s complaint was just speculation.

"There will be no further desertions. Naka-epoxy (a bonding compound) na ang mga miembro namin," he told radio station dzMM.

In fact, he said seven impeachment endorsers have been secretly talking to him with the intention of withdrawing their endorsements.

The five majority members who joined the ranks of impeachment endorsers last Tuesday night are Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Edmund Reyes of Marinduque, Robert Jaworski Jr. of Pasig City, Gilbert Remulla of Cavite and Rene Magtubo of the party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa.

Magtubo belongs to the minority but hesitated to sign the endorsement because he said he did not recognize Mrs. Arroyo as the legitimate president.

This is also the reason given by Rep. Baisendig Dilangalen of Maguindanao in wavering on her much-needed signature. Dilangalen is the wife of former Rep. Didagen Dilangalen, spokesman of ousted President Estrada.

Four other minority members have inexplicably refused to endorse the impeachment complaint of their colleagues. They are Luis Asistio and Oscar Malapitan of Caloocan City, Vincent Crisologo of Quezon City and Antonio Serapio of Valenzuela City.

Asistio, the acknowledged leader of the "Group of Four," is a long-time friend of Estrada, who wants to be "jailed" in his North Greenhills, San Juan residence instead of living under "house arrest" at his sprawling Tanay, Rizal estate.

The signatures of Barbers and his four colleagues brought to 49 the number of endorsers before it decreased to 48 with the decision of Rep. Eulogio Magsaysay of the party-list group Alliance of Volunteer Educators to withdraw his endorsement.

On July 25, when the opposition filed the amended complaint, it was accompanied by a resolution of endorsement signed by 42 House members. Three weeks later, two names — those of Benjamin Agarao of Laguna and Arthur Pingoy of South Cotabato — were added, expanding the list to 44.

That number did not increase until Tuesday, when the committee on justice voted strictly along party lines to kill the opposition’s motion that the panel proceed directly to determining the form and substance of each of the three complaints and opted instead to continue debating seven complex and confusing "prejudicial questions."

The Barbers group saw the lopsided vote as a portent of things to come and decided to join the ranks of impeachment endorsers, fearing the amended complaint was headed for the graveyard.

If Asistio’s Group of Four and Dilangalen give their signatures to their minority colleagues, that will bring the number of endorsers to 53. And if the Liberal Party (LP) can add 10 more, that will expand the list to 63.

The LP contributed nine original endorsers and says it has six additional signatures that it is keeping under wraps.

The 15 members of the Nacionalista Party, according to NP president Sen. Manuel Villar, are now free to decide whether to support the amended complaint or drop it. Several of them, including Cayetano and Remulla, are endorsers of the complaint.

The other Remulla, Jesus Crispin, like other Estrada allies, is still trying to decide. Jesus Crispin is a former spokesman of the ousted president and former chief of staff of Estrada’s wife, Sen. Luisa Ejercito.

Cayetano said as their creeping impeachment shifts into high gear, they expect the administration and its allies to creep up and raid their ranks.

Already, the President’s supporters claim that at least two to three more endorsers are ready to follow Magsaysay.

One of the names being floated around is that of Juan Pablo Angara of Aurora, son of Sen. Edgardo Angara.

But Rep. Angara told dzMM’s Anthony Taberna that he is not backing out.

At the Senate, Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. criticized yesterday his cousin, Congresssman Magsaysay, for withdrawing his signature in the impeachment complaint against the President.

"I was surprised that Congressman Amang Magsaysay withdrew his signature. There must be some external factors or forces that made him do it.," he said.

"I think it is unfortunate that he did it. I am sure that he went through a lot of pressure... and I sympathize with him," the senator said. — With Christina Mendez