The House Committee on Justice is expected to decide on Tuesday on the impeachment case filed against President Aquino.
But Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela on Sunday said the 16th Congress—now on its Second Regular Session—must also hit the ground running and work hard to pass urgent and significant pieces of legislation that will truly benefit the Filipino people now.
“Topping the list of urgent and important bills that must be attended to by Congress are the 2015 national budget, the Bangsamoro Basic Law and other socioeconomic bills that were earlier certified urgent by the Palace to address the pressing needs of the nation,” he said.
“And there are a lot of national concerns and priorities that the Aquino government and the 16th Congress have to attend to—from the rising prices of basic commodities, the passage of the Bangsamoro Peace Act and peace and order concerns in the country, rebuilding and rehabilitation of calamity-stricken provinces, national-security concerns in our territorial dispute with China to the high cost of electricity and the recurring power problems in Mindanao and other vital socioeconomic measures aimed at uplifting the lives of our people,” Albano added.
He, however, said the House should act on the complaint to show the lawmakers are respecting the right of any Filipino citizen to file an impeachment case against the President.
“Impeachment proponents think they have strong and valid grounds to unseat President Aquino while allies and supporters of the President believe otherwise. At the end of the day, what is important is that every lawmaker will be able to vote based on their conscience, and, whatever vote they may have, they are accountable to their constituents, being their elected representative,” Albano said
Consolidate
Meanwhile, Justice Committee Chairman and Liberal Party Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. of Iloilo said lawmakers—during the impeachment hearing on Tuesday—are expected to consolidate the three complaints and vote on the sufficiency of its form. They will also decide on the fate of the fourth impeachment complaint, which was filed by ACT Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio.
Tupas said it is imperative that committee members are given ample time to scrutinize the complaints.
Endorsed by members of the Makabayan bloc, the three impeachment complaints accused Mr. Aquino of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution in connection with the implementation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz