Arroyo allies in final bid to defuse crisis

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo was yesterday struggling to forge a last minute compromise ahead of today's landmark bid by lawmakers to impeach the country's top judge, a move that would deepen a constitutional crisis.

In an effort to head off a confrontation between the two branches of government, Arroyo and her allies were yesterday getting more members of the House of Representatives to sign up to a "covenant" which would effectively delay the impeachment attempt.

"We're racing against time," House Speaker Jose de Venecia, a key ally of Arroyo, said as he sought to convince more congressmen to end the constitutional crisis that has dragged down the Philippine peso and evoked fears of a coup.

Ninety-six legislators from the 226-member House of Representatives had signed a petition to impeach Davide – more than the one-third majority or 76 signatures required – but Arroyo and her allies had whittled it down to 82, congressional sources said.

De Venecia is confident that he can convince enough signatories to withdraw from the planned sanction against Davide for allegedly misusing government funds, a charge the respected judge has flatly rejected.

A group of lawmakers from the opposition Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), who initiated the impeachment bid, said they would not withdraw despite a Supreme Court writ two weeks ago cautioning against the unconstititional move.

If impeached, Davide has to face a trial in the Senate and could lose his job.

The impasse over the Davide impeachment has been dragging for over a week after the Supreme Court issued an order temporarily barring further proceedings on the impeachment motion as it deliberates on an appeal filed by a group of lawyers questioning the legality of the impeachment complaint.

Lawyers led by former solicitor general Frank Chavez said the constitution bars the filing of more than one impeachment move against an impeachable official, which also includes the president, vice president and other ranking executives, within one year.

A first impeachment move against Davide filed by former president Joseph Estrada was turned down by the House for lack of merit.

Meanwhile, massive rallies are expected today in Manila by groups for and against the impeachment of Davide. Security forces in the capital have been put on alert since Monday last week to thwart attempts by any political groups to exploit the situation.