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De Venecia agrees to endorse impeach bid, testify vs Arroyo


MANILA, Philippines — Former Speaker and Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr on Saturday said he would endorse the latest impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. QTV’s Balitanghali newscast reported that De Venecia was ready to testify on all questions, including alleged anomalies in the Northrail project, which is being linked to the former Speaker. "I will answer all questions no matter who gets hurt. That's why I want to speak out. I want to speak out. They should ask all questions about Northrail and any other issues," he said. De Venecia admitted he had second thoughts at first because of delicadeza (propriety) but said his "conscience" got the better of him. He urged members of Congress to decide based on the merits of the complaint. The House of Representatives may tackle the complaint when it resumes session Nov. 10. "Members of Congress must decide based on the merits, not on party affiliation. If we listen to our conscience then the numbers can develop rapidly," he said. He also said he could not allow what he called willful abuse of presidential power and killing and violation of human rights to continue under the present government. Ready for the consequence The former House Speaker said this won't only be the fight of his son but the fight of all Filipinos, as well. A separate report by dzBB radio's Lito Laparan said De Venecia's decision stemmed from his talks with television evangelist Eduardo "Eddie" Villanueva, Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Oscar Cruz, and retired general Fortunato Abat. De Venecia said he was "ready for the consequences" of his decision to support the impeachment bid. He said he already had a taste of Malacañang's wrath not once but twice, having been kicked out as House Speaker, and removed from his top post at the Lakas party. De Venecia fell out of the Arroyo admnistration's favor after his son Jose III linked the President's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo to the allegedly anomalous $329.48-million national broadband network deal of the Philippine government with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications (ZTE) Corp. The ZTE scandal is included in the latest impeachment complaint filed against Mrs Arroyo. Ill-timed At the House of Representatives, Speaker Prospero Nograles said the positions of lawmakers on impeaching Mrs Arroyo won't change even with De Venecia's endorsement of the complaint. “Personally the JDV endorsement comes half expectedly. I was kind of hoping JDV would stay out of it. But truthfully I think that the anti and the pro impeachment numbers have not changed in the House," the Speaker said in a text message to media on Saturday. He added: “The overwhelming majority in the House today really fell that impeachment is ill- timed and won’t be any good for the country plus the fact that elections are just around the corner. That my sense of the general feeling in the house after consultation with party leaders of the coalition." Presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio also described the timing of the impeachment complaint, even as he said de Venecia’s stand won’t change the ‘numbers." “I guess he (De Venecia) has to do what he has to. After all, Joey is his son. But JDV or no JDV, the administration is confident of being able to defend itself and the President from any issue raised in the impeachment complaint," he said. Claudio added: The impeachment complaint’s chances of success as well as the utter inappropriate and destructiveness of its timing in light of the current global economic tempest remain the same." Lightweight Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano III says De Venecia’s support is immaterial and has no bearing as he is no longer the leader of the House. “Sana noong Speaker siya (He could have done when he was still Speaker). His time has passed. His motive is in question because it's quite obvious that he just wants to get back at this administration after he was democratically unseated," Albano said. Also, Palawan Rep Abraham Mitra doubted if a De Venecia-endorsed complaint could muster numbers to out Mrs Arroyo. “It's a lightweight endorsement. Granted that he still has some loyalists most of them are more loyal to Arroyo. His signature will not be the tipping point. JDV is not a credible endorser because everybody can see that he's not doing this for the country but for his son and he is also sour-graping," Mitra said. - with reports from Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV
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