Relatives of victims of human rights violations were among those who filed the impeachment complaint against Pres. Benigno Aquino III yesterday, July 21.
"It’s time you pay for your actions," said Concepcion Empeno, mother of missing student Karen Empeño, one of the 28 petitioners in the impeachment complaint against Pres. Noynoy Aquino.
Relatives of victims of human rights violations were among those who filed the impeachment complaint against Pres. Benigno Aquino III yesterday, July 21.
"It’s time you pay for your actions," said Concepcion Empeno, mother of missing student Karen Empeño, one of the 28 petitioners in the impeachment complaint against Pres. Noynoy Aquino.
Empeño joined lawyers, church people and representatives of people’s organizations at the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives yesterday in holding Pres. Aquino accountable for the misuse of public funds to feed the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
The complaint cited culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust as bases for the impeachment.
"I am a school teacher, and as citizen and taxpayer I have every right to demand accountability for what Pres. Aquino did to people’s funds through the DAP," said Empeno.
Also signing the impeachment complaint was Maria Aurora Santiago, the fiancee of Wilhelmus Joseph Geertman, a Dutch NGO development worker who was killed two years ago on July 3.
Santiago represents hundreds of victims of extrajudicial killings who were slain and whose rights were violated under the rule of the Pork Barrel King.
“At this point, we want the president to be held accountable for siphoning off public funds like his own, and perpetuating systemic corruption and plunder of people’s funds. But, we will not stop here. He should also account DAP-funded projects that resulted to human rights violations,” said Santiago.
Santiago said she and other families of victims of extrajudicial killings see Pres. Aquino’s arrogant defense of the DAP similar to how he perpetuated human rights violations.
“The four years of Pres. Aquino was marked not only by corruption but also by hundreds of cases of human rights violations,” said Santiago. ###