Manila: Philippines President-elect Benigno Aquino has created a commission to investigate alleged graft charges against outgoing president Gloria Arroyo.
Aquino appointed former Supreme Court chief justice Hilario Davide to head the Truth Commission. In late 2000, Davide presided over the impeachment trial of former president Joseph Estrada at the Senate.
Criticism against Arroya intensified when she ran for the presidency and won a six-year mandate in 2004. The opposition, led by Estrada, claimed she was involved in election fraud.
Survival
Arroyo has survived the opposition, disgruntled allies, and impeachment motions in the House of Representatives.
An economist, Arroyo has been credited with keeping the Philippines in the black during the recession experienced by developed countries since 2008. She pushed for legislated tax increases and created government projects. But she is also leaving behind a $ 6.5 billion budget deficit.
Arroyo's spokesperson Gary Olivar said "we look forward to a dispassionate evaluation of her record for a change, one that will seek illumination by facts and numbers, not hide in the fog of ideology, partisanship and rhetoric."
