Activist archbishop not surprised by junking of impeach raps vs Aquino

Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz. Photo courtesy of CBCP.

MANILA – Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz found nothing surprising in the House of Representatives’ junking of the three impeachment complaints filed against President Aquino on Tuesday.

“If Congress approved the impeachment complaints as sufficient in form and substance that would have been very strange,” said Cruz, who was among the signatories of the first impeachment complaints against Aquino, in an interview with reporters.

Cruz signed the petition filed last July by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan for Aquino’s alleged violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in the implementation of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

“The impeachment case is always a political game, it’s a numbers game. From the beginning, the people already know that the impeachment complaints will not prosper,” Cruz said.

“This only proves that the President has both the Senate and Congress in his pocket. It’s as simple as that,” said Cruz. “Those who are in the House are in the pocket of the President, a good number of people in the Senate are also in his pocket. The only thing he could not get in his pocket, but which he would like to, is the Supreme Court. It has long been a done deal—the impeachment complaints will not be approved because of the political system.”

Cruz, on earlier reports, already expressed his disbelief that the impeachment cases against Aquino will prosper in Congress.

He said that the complaints only served as “symbols of dissatisfaction and anger” over the president’s failure to lead the country effectively.

“It is rather clear that the impeachment cases are more symbolic than real because how could an impeachment case, whether it is subscribed or endorsed by this and that congressman, could ever prosper when most of them (legislators) are beneficiaries of the Aquino government?” said Cruz.

“Whether we like it or not, the impeachment cases are but symbols of dissatisfaction, symbols of anger and symbols of being tired of it all,” he added.