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The Amended Impeachment Complaint

THE amended impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was filed in Congress on July 25. The charges range from election fraud to onerous government contracts, to concealment of assets and the killings of activists. At the time that it was filed, there were 41 representatives who had endorsed the complaint.

The main charges include:

  • Undermining the independence of the Commission on Elections
  • Knowingly conspiring with the Comelec to commit election fraud
  • Obstructing justice by falsifying evidence and covering up information related to the "Hello Garci" recording  
  • Concealing ownership of properties in the Philippines and abroad
  • Approving contracts grossly disadvantageous to the government, including the North Rail and Piatco NAIA terminal 3 projects
  • Accepting jueteng payola and using this to bankroll the presidential campaign and bribe officials including Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano
  • Allowing the use of government funds, including the PhilHealth and Road Users’ tax, to promote her presidential candidacy 
  • Providing impunity to the killers of political dissenters

According to existing rules, the justice committee has 60 session days to deliberate on the complaint. The count begins on the day it receives the complaint from the Speaker, who has already included it in the Order of Business. If the justice committee finds the complaint sufficient, it goes to the plenary, where one-third of the members can vote to impeach the president. If, however, the justice committee throws out the complaint, the president can still be impeached if one-third of the House members vote to override the justice committee’s report.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLAINT

     
 


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