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MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) At least six opposition members have been allegedly approached by a Malacañang ally and offered from P1 million to P2 million and another P10 million worth of projects to endorse an impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, House Minority Floor Leader Ronaldo Zamora revealed.

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez, another opposition member, confirmed this and claimed that he was approached to endorse the complaint which he described as a “ploy to immune the President from a real substantial complaint.”

“I was asked to sign. I immediately understood that it was really a ploy to immune the President from a real substantial complaint,” Rodriguez said of the case filed against Arroyo last Friday by lawyer Roel Pulido.

In Malacañang, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol laughed off allegations that the bribe offer came from a Palace ally.

"If he is really an ally of Malacañang, he is not using his brain," he said on television.

Apostol also said that the fate of the impeachment complaint would be decided by the majority party in the House.

He also denied that Laguna Representative Edgar San Luis, who endorsed the complaint, belonged to the administration party.

Pulido accused the President of failing to act on the controversy surrounding the national broadband network project allegedly involving her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo and then Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos.

“They have been offered various amounts, P1 million and P2 million plus P10 million in projects,” Zamora said at a regular briefing Monday.

“Lahat ng kasamahan ko ay hindi pumatol dyan siympre tingin nila e mabababoy na naman yung impeachment process [All my colleagues did not agree to it because the impeachment process would be tainted],” he said.

Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran made a similar disclosure earlier on Monday when he took to the floor to expose the P2 million alleged offer by an administration ally in exchange for the endorsement of the Pulido complaint.

Beltran and Rodriguez were interpellating San Luis, endorser of the complaint, when they made their revelations in the plenary.

Aside from the two who came out in the open, the four other opposition lawmakers who were supposedly approached and offered bribes were not identified.

At Monday’s press briefing, Beltran narrated that he was approached twice last Friday in his residence in Bulacan province in the morning and inside the session hall of the House in the afternoon.

He said he was initially offered P1 million, but was later raised to P2 million. He said he immediately turned down the offer.

“Ang sabi, dalawa na ito, dalawa na ito [He said this is already two, this is already two]. Gusto ko nga sanang bigyan ng dalawang suntok [I wanted to punch him twice],” Beltran said.

“Pang-iinsulto na yun sa aking prinsipyo [It is an insult to my principle]. So I just tried to explain to him that it’s impossible for me to sign that complaint,” he said.

Beltran refused to identify, who made the offer, except that the person was associated with a “very powerful” individual.

Zamora admitted that they could not say whether bribery or an attempt to commit bribery was committed as the opposition only wanted to expose the administration’s attempt to sabotage the impeachment process.

“Importante lamang para makita natin na ang Palasyo at ilan sa mga kasamahan ng Palasyo ay gagawin halos anuman para lang magkaroon ng immunity ang Pangulo [It is important for us to see that the Palace and some allies of the Palace are determined to do everything to grant immunity to the President],” Zamora said.

Under House rules, only one complaint can be filed against impeachable officials in a year.

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