Ethics complaint filed vs Walden Bello for anti-Arroyo speech

Allies of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday filed an ethics complaint against Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello for his alleged unparliamentary remarks and disorderly behavior when he delivered a scathing privilege speech against Mrs. Arroyo early this month. The 12-page complaint — filed by Representatives Marc Douglas Cagas (Davao del Sur), Ignacio Arroyo (Negros Occidental), Simeon Datumanong (Maguindanao), Ma. Milagros Magsaysay (Zambales), and Aurelio Gonzales (Pampanga) — was lodged with the office of House secretary general Marilyn Barua-Yan since the chamber has yet to constitute the House ethics committee. The complainants asked the secretary general to forward the complaint to the appropriate committee. The five are seeking Bello’s suspension, saying he “is liable and must be disciplined" for his disorderly behavior when he delivered his privilege speech accusing Mrs. Arroyo of corruption on August 2, 2010. They said despite the fact that the alleged unparliamentary remarks were stricken off the record, the injurious effects of the accusations remain since these were heard and seen by House members and media practitioners who covered the session. “The moment the respondent Bello uttered the unparliamentary and indecorous words and phrases, he has inflicted injury to Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a member of the House and to the Congress as a hallowed institution," they said. They added, “Striking off the record respondent Bello’s uncalled for remarks did not erase his offense and did not temper his intemperate and derisive harangue against a colleague. Neither did it reverse the intensity of the verbal assault which the other members of this House witnessed and heard and which the tri-media recorded." Unfazed Bello, on the other hand, was unfazed by the ethics complaint against him, saying he stands by the veracity of his allegations. “In the midst of this political maneuvering by the minority, let us not forget the real ethical question: is it appropriate for Mrs. Arroyo to get away with grave abuse of power and massive corruption while the Filipino people continue to suffer the effects of almost 10 years of her morally bankrupt leadership. History will bear us out," he said in a statement. He said for the meantime, they will wait for the ethics committee to furnish them a copy of the complaint and notify the schedule of the proceedings. Ethical standards At a press conference with the House minority bloc, Arroyo’s son, Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Mikey Arroyo, said House members are governed with rules “which call for high ethical standard" and should abide by it. “When you want to speak your mind, you must accept this authority of the plenary. Now if you don’t want to respect this school of ethics, perhaps you should go to the street and say whatever you want. In the lower house, wherein whatever we say will be studied by future students, it is very important if we conduct ourselves as gentleman and gentlewoman. This is what the complaint is all about," he said. Mrs. Arroyo has yet to comment on the ethics complaint, said House minority leader Edcel Lagman. Magsaysay, one of the complainants, said Mrs. Arroyo had no involvement in the preparation and the filing of the complaint. She said they filed it “on our volition." “It is not for her (Mrs. Arroyo) to approve it or disapprove. No blessing, she is hands off, it is on our own volition. She cannot prevent any member of Congress to file an ethics complaint against anyone," she said. Members of the minority bloc, however, are still undecided whether to file similar complaints against Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casino and San Juan Rep. Jose Victor Estrada, who also delivered privilege speeches against Mrs. Arroyo. - KBK, GMANews.TV