Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Ex-Cabinet officials give Arroyo a week to comply demands
MANILA (2nd Update, 3:04 p.m.) - Former senior government officials gathered Tuesday in San Juan to demand five concerns in relation to the NBN-ZTE deal for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to comply in one week.
"In particular we ask the President to lead in showing government's commitment to the truth by taking the following actions which can reasonably be done within one week," the senior officials said in statement.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The actions the group demanded from the President are the following:
* Order acting chair Romulo Neri to resume his testimony before the senate investigation without any restriction or limitations;
* Order the release and delivery to the Senate of all public records pertaining to the NBN-ZTE deal starting with the minutes of the Neda Board meetings on the project;
* Suspend DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso as the DOTC was the lead agency for this project;
* Suspend DENR Secretary Lito Ateinza, PNP Chief Avelino Razon, Deputy Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite, Deputy NAIA Chief Angel Atutubo, Senior Supt. Paul Mascarinas and all those allegedly involved in the attempt to prevent Senate witness Jun Lozada from testifying, and
* Order a halt on any further attempt by such agencies as the DOJ, DENR, NBI, BIR to harass Senate witness Jus Lozada and those testifying in behalf of the truth.
Statement of the Former Senior Government Officials
However, Malacanang in a quick reaction finds the call for the suspension of government officials premature since nothing has been proven yet on the botched NBN-ZTE deal.
"I think it would be unfair for our government officials to be suspended because again all of these claims by Mr. Lozada are all allegations without evidences, so I think it is very premature to be asking them to be suspended because so far nothing has been proven yet. Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said.
Former trade minister Vicente Paterno, a Cabinet official during the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos, read the statement.
The former senior officials in their statement said the President must do this or "the people will make their judgment and act on the basis of their conviction."
"She must do these or be condemned as complicit with, and in fact, as being at the center of the lies surrounding the NBN-ZTE deal," the statement said,
"We can do this based on the power of reason and the power of people's communal action. We deserve a government that governs with truth," the statement further said.
The former officials said no real peace or substantive unity is possible until doubts about government's adherence to truth in matters of public interest are resolved.
They also asked the President to demonstrate her actions against corruption by allowing the truth to emerge.
Former education secretary Butch Abad said about 81 former Cabinet secretaries have signed the demand letter addressed to President Arroyo.(Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (March 4, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
