IT’S a double whammy for lawyer Roel Pulido.

Less than two weeks after the House justice committee laid to rest Pulido’s impeachment complaint against President Arroyo, the House ethics committee junked his other complaint against Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in connection with his alleged role in the approval of a franchise of a broadband company owned by his son, Jose III.

The committee, led by Lakas Rep. Eleandro Madrona of Rombon, dismissed Pulido’s complaint for lack of jurisdiction, three weeks after it found it sufficient in form and in content.

Members of the committee ruled that it has jurisdiction only over cases involving incidents during the incumbent term, and not on acts committed during the previous terms.

The complaint will be sent to the House’s archives division.

On November 20 a motion to dismiss the complaint was filed by Lakas Rep. Nur Jaafar of Tawi-Tawi, contending that the committee has no jurisdiction over the case since the alleged offense took place before the 14th Congress was convened.

The complaint of Pulido states that in 1995 and 1997, de Venecia, while in position, allowed the approval of the franchise of his son’s broadband company named Multi-Media Telephony Inc. (MTI).

Pulido said that Joey, who blew the whistle on the controversial $329-million national broadband network (NBN), has organized MTI in 1993 while his father is the representative of Pangasinan. 

In 1995 the company sought franchise to construct, establish, operate and maintain a radio-paging system in the country, which the House has granted.

De Venecia denied the accusations, claiming that his son was not yet part of the MTI when the franchise was approved.

“At the time the franchise was approved, he was not a shareholder or officer at all, nor did he have any interest in the company. Only much later was he employed as chief operating officer by Multi-Media Telephony Inc.,” de Venecia said.

Pulido also cited in his complaint de Venecia’s alleged “influence” in the controversial NBN deal.

Besides the ethics committee, Pulido also filed the same complaint before the Ombudsman.

MAKATI Mayor and United Opposition (Uno) president Jejomar Binay said Tuesday the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should instead investigate Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, after the latter admitted receiving advance intelligence reports about the walkout at the Makati court and the takeover of Manila Peninsula by the group led by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Troops from the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) joined in the manhunt for the recapture of fugitive Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, who slipped from a police cordon at the height of the siege of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City, the country’s business capital.

DETAINED Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV may finally get his wish to attend a Senate hearing, thanks to fellow Sen. Miriam Santiago who introduced a resolution asking the ethics committee to “punish” the failed Oakwood mutiny leader for instigating another attempted uprising at the Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati last Thursday.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) still has over two years before the next electoral exercise, but it should now start cleansing the padded voters’ list of at least two million double registrations, according to Sen. Loren Legarda.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The League of Cities in the Philippines (LCP) has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to look into the legality of the formation of 16 new cities throughout the country.

IT’S a double whammy for lawyer Roel Pulido.

Less than two weeks after the House justice committee laid to rest Pulido’s impeachment complaint against President Arroyo, the House ethics committee junked his other complaint against Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in connection with his alleged role in the approval of a franchise of a broadband company owned by his son, Jose III.

THE banks may go beyond the permissible limit—50 percent with government debt papers—that a portion of their capital may be backed by peso-denominated IOUs of government. There is, however, a condition.

The United States will forever be an ally of the Philippines and it would never support any move to change the government through any other means other than what was prescribed in the Constitution, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said on Tuesday.