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Monday, June 27, 2005
Palace wants jueteng probe stopped
MANILA -- Press Secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Sunday the "fishing expeditions" in the Senate investigation on the illegal numbers game and payola should be ended and should instead be turned over to the appropriate agencies.
Bunye said while Malacañang respects the independence and processes in Congress, he thinks its time to hand the jueteng investigation over to right agencies.
"The Senate should now turn over the matter to the appropriate authorities, preferably to the Office of the Ombudsman. The senators have better things to do other than play fiscals and prosecutors," he said.
The Senate committees on public order and illegal drugs and games, amusement and sports chaired by Senators Manuel Villar Jr. and Manuel "Lito" Lapid, respectively, are looking into the jueteng payoffs. The House committee on games and amusement chaired by Representative Joel Mayo Almario is also conducting separate investigations on such an issue.
During the Senate hearing, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's son and Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, and brother-in-law Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio Arroyo are among officials in the government who have been linked to jueteng racket.
Bunye said most of the testimonies of the witnesses in the jueteng hearing were hearsay and only tarnished the reputation of many people in the government.
He said: "Pre-screening of witnesses should be in order otherwise the investigations might just turn out to be in aid of character assassination."
The press secretary reiterated that "it is about time that the jueteng probe comes to an end."
Bunye said if the purpose of the investigation is really in aid of legislation, the lawmakers already have enough inputs to make a sound judgment as to whether to legalize jueteng or not.
"They (legislators) already have the information they need to make a bill," he said over RMN-dzXL radio station.
Bunye said the issue of the rising oil price should be the main concern of Filipinos now.
"The galloping oil price is the paramount issue of the day and we, as a nation, must unite and face it with one mind and concerted action. No amount of political squabbling and bickering will ease the impact of an oil crisis, which could possibly be worse than what we have ever experienced in the past," he said.
Bunye said not even the US, a superpower and an oil producer, can control the soaring prices of oil in the world market.
He said the crisis is aggravated by the plunging peso-dollar rate, which is reacting to the jueteng and wiretapping controversies.
He said the public should monitor the price adjustments of the oil companies to ensure that they are fair and reflect the prices of their inventory.
He said the government continues to find ways to cushion the impact of oil price hikes like the discounts for public utility vehicles and the energy independence and reform package.
Bunye said the implementation of the Expanded Value-Added Tax (VAT) Law starting July 1, which lifted the exemptions on fuel and power, would be mitigated by an executive order (EO) which President Arroyo will issue.
He said the President's order will reduce the tariff duty on crude and refined products from five to three percent and on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from three to zero percent. He said the order will also remove the excise tax on diesel, kerosene, and bunker and reduce the excise tax on regular gasoline. (JMR/Sunnex)
(June 27, 2005 issue)
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