Allies to block House probe of GMA

MANILA, Philippines - Congressmen-allies of outgoing President Arroyo will block any investigation by the House of Representatives into corruption scandals involving her, her husband and her administration.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino said yesterday supporters of incoming President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in Congress should “not look into the past so that we can move this country forward.”

“We feel that the House should not be used in terms of pursuing any of these potential cases that may be filed (against Mrs. Arroyo) with other venues,” he told ABS-CBN News Channel.

“We believe that the House should be insulated from that so that there would be no divisiveness in the House,” he said.

Antonino, a staunch defender of Mrs. Arroyo, belongs to a group in the ruling Lakas-Kampi that has expressed its support for the speaker’s bid of outgoing Quezon City Mayor and Representative-elect Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and the incoming Aquino administration.

The group, organized by Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, claims to have about 60 members.

Another faction in the ruling party, led by former budget secretary and Camarines Sur Representative-elect Rolando Andaya Jr., is also supporting Belmonte.

A third faction, led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, will most likely become the minority or opposition bloc, of which Mrs. Arroyo would be a member.

Asked if his group’s support for Belmonte was in exchange for a commitment on the part of the incoming House leadership to desist from investigating Arroyo, Antonino said there was no such agreement.

“There was no condition set as far as protection for her is concerned,” he said.

He said they just expressed their sentiments to Belmonte on potential House inquiries into Arroyo scandals, which militant party-list groups and her critics have promised to initiate in the 15th Congress.

These groups have also vowed to file criminal charges against her with the Office of the Ombudsman.

With Antonino’s statements, it is now obvious that Mrs. Arroyo’s allies in both the majority and minority would try to protect her.

Earlier, Lagman called on Aquino to treat the Marcoses and the Arroyos equally. He made the appeal after the incoming president reportedly expressed inclination to forgive the Marcoses and prosecute Mrs. Arroyo.

In an interview last week with American television network CNN, Aquino said his government would investigate Arroyo and other officials and private citizens involved in corruption during her administration if there is evidence against them.

“We will be different from them. We will not file cases and then look for the evidence,” he said.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, an ally of Mrs. Arroyo, has proposed the creation of an independent commission to investigate corruption scandals involving her, her husband and her officials.

Antonino said his group decided to “coalesce” with Belmonte’s supporters after Mrs. Arroyo gave her allies “leeway as to where we would position ourselves individually as far as the (incoming) administration is concerned.”

“With the formation of the coalition, this indicates that there is certainly a large faction in Lakas that would like to play a positive role in terms of the legislative agenda and policies that the incoming administration would like to pursue,” he said.

He said investigating Mrs. Arroyo would just distract the majority coalition from focusing on such legislative agenda.

He added that the impeachment cases filed by the minority from 2005 up to 2008 sidetracked the House from attending to legislative priorities.

Mrs. Arroyo dodged impeachment with the support of allies like Antonino and Lagman.

Aquino, who was then a Tarlac congressman, was among the impeachment supporters.

Lawmakers and Arroyo administration officials who were for ousting Mrs. Arroyo through the impeachment process, including the “Hyatt 10” group that called for her resignation, are now allies of Aquino.