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Thursday, June 16, 2005
Solons ask Glo: Admit or deny
Lawmakers investigating a wiretapping scandal will send a letter asking President Arroyo to either admit or deny that it was her voice in a recording that hints of election fraud.
The House committees on public information, national defense, justice, suffrage, and public order and security also agreed to send similar letters to First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and other people whose conversations were allegedly wiretapped.
But in her visit to Bacoor, Cavite yesterday, the President did not address the issue directly.
She instead batted for a united Philippines in resolving “the destructive politics” that continues to polarize Filipinos and hamper the country’s social and economic progress.
“It is time to have one Philippines. For those who are still trying to further divide our country, I will not waste my time dealing with the politics of destabilization,” she said.
Two Cebuano legislators also said the House of Representatives should focus instead on the proposals to amend the Constitution, than look into the audio recordings.
Shift
Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) said it would be better if Congress left the investigation to the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Our energies are better spent on important legislations that must be reviewed and passed, especially the crucial task at hand concerning parliamentary shift and a constitutional convention called by President Arroyo,” Cuenco said in a statement.
For his part, Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) said: “There are already probes being conducted by government agencies. We should just leave the wiretapping controversy behind and focus on the more vital issue and task of Charter change.”
The five House committees will start Tuesday next week their joint inquiry into the alleged wiretapped phone conversation between the President and Garcillano, after they approved the ground rules yesterday.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., meanwhile, voiced suspicion that the administration senators are engaged in a cover-up of the controversial taped conversation.
Special session
Senate defense committee chairman Rodolfo Biazon refused to conduct the inquiry without a formal referral by the plenary.
Senate President Franklin Drilon, for his part, said there is no basis yet for a Senate investigation since no referral was made.
“In all honesty, I think the Senate president is wrong, for the simple reason that prior to the adjournment, I asked him if the committees could conduct the investigation. And he told me, `Don’t worry about that.’ We need to talk about it because the committees have standby authority to pursue the investigation even if Congress is not in session,” Pimentel said.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, on the other hand, said only a special session can solve the impasse.
Santiago said a special session will allow Drilon to assign any committee to conduct the investigation.
She saw the urgency of conducting an inquiry on the matter to determine who is telling the truth and if there was fraud in last year’s elections.
Silence
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed with the Department of Justice a charge of inciting to sedition against Samuel Ong, the former NBI deputy director who said he has the master tapes on the wiretapping.
However, Defensor said President Arroyo’s silence on her alleged conversation with Garcillano does not make her guilty of any wrongdoing.
“Under our justice system, no person can be forced to talk if he doesn’t want to. That’s a right guaranteed under our Constitution,” she said.
The opposition and militant groups have called on the President to resign, but Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will remain Arroyo’s ally until her term ends.
“It’s about time we just think about ourselves. Nobody thinks about us. They have accused the Cebuanos of being cheats and of being favored by the President. What are they after? They just want to grab power themselves,” Osmeña told a news conference yesterday.
But Sanlakas in Cebu is asking that Arroyo quit her post.
The youth group of the party-list organization held a rally outside the Malacañang sa Sugbo yesterday, as they called for People Power so Arroyo could be replaced by a “pro-education successor.” (Sunnex/PNA) With GAC & EOB)
(June 16, 2005 issue)
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