tonyo is now at tonyocruz.com

Lest I forget, I included my name in the Cadapan-Empeño impeachment complaint against President Arroyo filed on on July 26 before House secretary-general Roberto Nazareno.

Cadapan and Empeño are the surnames of the two missing students of the University of the Philippines allegedly abducted by elements of the Philippine Army under the command of the cowardly butcher Jovito Palparan.

I signed the complaint along with 200 others. I did so as a a response to what is happening to the country under an illegitimate, immoral, corrupt and repressive presidency. The impeachment process remains the only constitutional way to confront Mrs. Arroyo with the serious and festering allegations that she cheated in 2004 and that she covered up this crime up until today. It would be a strategic blunder for this rotten system to kill the impeachment complaints through the convenient use of parliamentary majority in the House.

I also signed as a convenor of TXTPower. We do not want a president to use her immense powers to curtail the people's right to free expression especially when such illegal acts are done to cover-up her crimes. It was disgusting that Mrs. Arroyo's justice secretary vainly terrorized us and many others from spreading the Hello Garci conversations and the Hello Garci ringtones.

Mrs. Arroyo and her cabal have long wanted a legal, constitutional venue to defeat their foes. The impeachment process provides them this venue. The only thing we request is that the complainants be allowed to present evidence backing the complaint, so that the Members of Congress and the nation would know that the complaint is sufficient in form and in substance, and should be enough basis for Mrs. Arroyo's fair, transparent and fair trial before the Senate.

I cannot in conscience just accept Mrs. Arroyo to stay until 2010 (and under Chacha, rather indefinitely) without resolving the many serious issues enveloping her presidency. I don't care if she's bright or competent. The nation does not deserve to be ruled by an illegitimate leader who has no undisputed claim to the presidency. We will be teaching the children and young people a very bad lesson in civics and morals if we would allow her to last until 2010 kahit pa isa siyang pekeng pangulo at pasista pa.

Mrs. Arroyo's refusal to resign or to tell the whole truth is the real fetter to our nation from moving forward.