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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Gag order covers Northrail, 'Hello Garci' probes: Palace (10:38 a.m.)
MANILA -- Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Malacañang is invoking Executive Order (EO) 464 in the Senate inquiries on the Northrail project and the "Hello Garci" wiretapping controversy.
Ermita said in his weekly press briefing that Malacañang is finalizing the ground rules for the implementation of EO 464 and is coordinating with congressmen to see whether a settlement could be reached.
He said he is waiting for the recommendations of Cabinet members and government agencies on the guidelines for officials during the conduct of inquiries “so that the atmosphere would be more objective and not confrontational.”
Ermita also said Malacañang will also decide whether agriculture officials can attend the Senate hearing Thursday on the alleged misuse of the P2 billion-fertilizer fund during the campaign for the 2004 elections, depending on the recommendations of the agriculture department.
He said former officials like formerbBudget secretary Emilia Boncodin may be barred from revealing certain things during hearings even if they are already private citizens because they used to enjoy executive privilege as Cabinet members.
However, Ermita admitted that lawmakers can still put the squeeze on Cabinet officials during budget hearings. “That’s normal. That’s democracy,” he said.
Ermita said Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who is being eyed for questioning on the "Hello Garci" controversy when he defends his department’s budget, can hold his own.
“The Cabinet members and people under them know what to do and can acquit themselves in budget hearings,” he said.
Ermita said the ground rules should include a reminder that the Cabinet official who serves as a resource person in a Congressional hearing is the alter-ego of the President and should also be respected.
Presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio said the ground rules should be “unilateral” and “acceptable to a respectable degree” to the lawmakers.
Claudio said there is no paralysis when it comes to Congressional hearings because both branches of Congress have been working for the passage of bills such as the budget, anti-terrorism, ethanol, and anti-smuggling. (JMR) |
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