MANILA, 27 October 2003 — Protest rallies are being planned across the country starting today to denounce an attempt by members of the House of Representatives to unseat Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

And for the first time in almost three years, former President Corazon Aquino will be joining marchers in the streets to defend the integrity of Davide and protest the assault on the highest court in the land.

Aquino, one of the two leaders instrumental in the People Power uprisings of February 1986 and January 2001, will speak at the protest rally scheduled at 2 p.m. today outside the House of Representatives in Quezon City, said her spokeswoman, Lourdes Siytangco,

Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin also spoke out yesterday in defense of Davide, whom he called “one of the most trusted Filipinos after EDSA II.”

Last week, the Supreme Court chief was impeached by more than one-third of the members of the House of Representatives, many of them identified with businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., chairman of San Miguel Corp.

Sin said he was not convinced by any of the accusations against Davide.

“I personally do not believe in any of the accusations being thrown against the chief justice. I know that he is very sincere and forthright in the execution of his duties,” Sin said in a statement issued yesterday, adding:

“I have known Chief Justice Davide all these years. His character, competence and honor have been more than sufficiently proven in the past.”

Protest rallies will also be staged across the Visayas, throughout Central Luzon, and in the Southern Tagalog region.

In San Fernando, Pampanga, a city which hosts two San Miguel complexes, the campaign to boycott SMC products was backed both by business leaders and a congressman.

Numerous pro-Davide text messages continued the swirl through the country’s cell phone systems. One purported to give the cell phone number of “Dishonorable Cong. Gilbert Teodoro who led Davide’s impeachment.” It added: “Please call him or text him your dismay at him. Pls. pass.”

‘Save the Judiciary’

In Cebu, Davide’s home province, a noise barrage, a protest caravan and street rallies are scheduled for today.

Judges, court employees, businessmen, people from the religious group and other sectors will also wear black today.

Cebu Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Pampio Abarintos said judges and court employees nationwide would continue to wear black shirts, armbands or ribbons until Congress withdraws the impeachment case or until the Senate decides to stop the impeachment trial.

Davide supporters have formed the Citizens for Judicial Independence and leaders of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry said they were also cooperating.

Cebu City Rep. Raul del Mar said he and other legislators would make a last-ditch effort today to stop the transmission of the impeachment complaint to the Senate.

In Bacolod City, the Peace Advocates of Negros (Pan), an organization of society groups, called for the “impeachment from our votes” of Negrense members of the House of Representatives who signed the impeachment complaint.

In San Fernando City, the boycott campaign spread quickly through text messages. Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, a Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party member, passed on one such message to reporters.

“Wear black, black band or ribbon on Monday in support of Davide. Boycott San Miguel products. Let’s teach politicians and greedy businessmen a lesson,” the message read.

Judges and court personnel in Nueva Ecija province said they would boycott all SMC products starting today. The judges also agreed to post messages of support for Davide in their vehicles. These will carry the statement “Save Davide, Save the Judiciary, Save the Country.”

Judge Lauro Sandoval, president of the judges association of Nueva Ecija, said RTC executive judges in Central Luzon would join a motorcade from the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City to the House of Representatives.

Arroyo-Cojuangco Deal

In Lucena City, farmers, lawyers and court employees, students, religious and members of non-government organizations are to stage their own rally.

Activist priest Raul Enriquez, chairman of Kaakbay-Quezon, said the demonstrators would also assail the “treacherous political matrimony” of President Gloria Arroyo and Cojuangco.

Enriquez, also the spokesman of Gomburza, a militant group of priests nationwide, said the organization strongly condemned the impeachment.

Lawyer Jun Flores, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Quezon chapter, said the organization and the judiciary employees would also hold a similar mass action.

Rene Cerilla, Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka sa Quezon president, said coconut farmers would be at the forefront of the protest mobilization.

“The Davide Supreme Court is our last hope in our struggle for the return of the coconut levy fund that has long been enjoyed by Danding,” he said.

The Council on Philippine Affairs (Copa) also came out yesterday in support of Davide, calling the impeachment move a “reckless” campaign that is “bringing this country to the brink.”

De Venecia Sees Solution

Amid the outcry, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, secretary-general of the ruling Lakas-CMD party, said a “dignified and honorable settlement” is at hand in the impeachment crisis.

“We’re 90 percent already there,” de Venecia told reporters.

But a congressman of the Lakas party, Albay Rep. Jose Maria Sarte Salceda, said he expected the number of signatories in the second impeachment complaint against Davide Jto swell this week.

Salceda said 30 Lakas members signed the complaint “not on a party line basis and they would not withdraw because of the party line.” He said the Nationalist People’s Coalition accounted for only 48 of the 93 signatories of the impeachment case and that the 45 non-NPC signees based their decision on the facts of the issue.

But Lakas spokesman Heherson Alvarez told the RMN radio network that the Lakas members who signed the complaint were “rushed” into supporting the NPC initiative. The NPC, founded by businessman Cojuangco, is Lakas’ partner in the ruling coalition.

Alvarez said the Davide impeachment case was such a “major issue” that the Lakas members should have consulted the party before putting their name to the complaint.

In Malaca?ang, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye Jr. said the Lakas-CMD party would hold an emergency meeting today in a last-ditch attempt to convince its members to withdraw their support for the impeachment complaint.

Bunye told GMA Network’s radio DZBB that the leaders of the party, and not Malaca?ang, were in the best position to convince some of its members to drop their support to the impeachment claim.

De Venecia, practicing what he called “shuttle diplomacy,” said the groundwork had been laid for a “win-win solution” that would avert an impeachment trial at the Senate.

A source in the NPC acknowledged that the odds in favor of a settlement were as high as 80 percent.

“We are moving toward an honorable settlement — one that acknowledges the oversight powers of Congress, while preserving the principle of fiscal autonomy of the judiciary.”