PRESIDENT-apparent Senator Noynoy Aquino should make sure President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would not escape culpability to alleged crimes and misrule during her near decade-old administration.
This was the challenge posed by militant group Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan) to Aquino, whose commanding lead in the unofficial tallies demonstrated a clear mandate for the 50-year-old bachelor.
“Everything from corruption, election fraud, gross human rights violations and the sell-out of national interests should be swiftly investigated and appropriate charges filed. Mr. Aquino should make true his word that a special commission will be created to look into the charges against Mrs. Arroyo,” Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement.
Earlier, Aquino said he would form a commission that would look into the allegations of electoral fraud, corruption and other scandals that tainted the Arroyo administration.
Bayan said the presumptive 15th president should take a cue from the Peruvian justice system, which successfully sentenced former President Alberto Fujimori for 25 years due to corruption and human rights abuses.
Stop Speaker Arroyo
The statement also came in light of the possible political maneuvering of Arroyo as Speaker in the opening of the 15th Congress on July.
“Gloria Arroyo will try to use the Lower House to gain some political leverage against those who want to make her accountable. She will use her newly acquired position as Representative of the 2nd district of Pampanga to ward off cases against her. She is also hoping she will find relief from the Supreme Court, majority of which are her appointees," Reyes said.
Arroyo was feared to use the support of allies in the House of Representatives in pushing for a parliamentary form of government and install her as prime minister. Malacanang has since denied the issue and was even excited to see the outgoing leader being elected as the first woman speaker.
On Wednesday night, Arroyo assumed the leadership of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD supposedly to jumpstart the speakership bid of the 63-year-old president.
Liberal Party of Aquino has not secured a majority in the Lower House in Monday’s elections, prompting him to open the doors of coalescing with the rival Nacionalista Party of Senator Manny Villar to block the president from grabbing the speakership.
Lakas-Kampi-CMD said they have retained at least 80 congressmen but still short of the 140 House members needed to elect the successor of House Speaker Prospero Nograles, a staunch Arroyo ally.
The Liberal Party is reportedly fielding former Lakas stalwart and newly-elected Quezon City congressman Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte.
Belmonte also served a short term in 2001 as speaker before running as mayor in the same year.
Come clean
The militant group also challenged former members of the Arroyo government who were eyed to serve under the second Aquino administration to come clean.
“Members of the Arroyo cabinet who will be appointed to the next administration must first reveal to the public what they know of the shenanigans of the previous regime. They should tell all and help make their former boss accountable," Reyes said.
At least one former Arroyo cabinet official, former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman is expected to return to the same post under the new government.
Other Arroyo officials are expected to be re-appointed to various positions.
“We should learn from the experience with the former dictator Marcos. Failure to successfully prosecute plunderers will eventually allow them to make a political comeback. That’s what’s happening now," Reyes said.
Soliman, a former close ally of Arroyo, resigned together with the ex-Cabinet members of so-called “Hyatt 10” in July 2005 at the height of the “Hello Garci” controversy, which uncovered the alleged massive electoral cheating done by Arroyo and some military officials to ensure her victory in the 2004 presidential election.
Human rights
Bayan said human rights violations should be looked into and justice must be achieved for the victims.
“The issue of human rights does not seem to be among the issues that will be looked into by the special commission that Mr. Aquino will form. We hope these changes and the prosecution of human rights violators such as General Jovito Palparan and Norberto Gonzales will also be on the next administration’s agenda," Reyes said.
Palparan, who is the outgoing representative of party-list Bantay, was accused of heading anti-insurgency operations in Central and Southern Luzon, where scores of suspected communist guerillas were tortured and killed under his watch.
“We hope political prisoners like the 43 health workers arrested in Morong, Rizal, will also see freedom during the next administration," he added.
The suspected rebels are still detained at a jail facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City over allegations of making bomb chemicals inside a farm last February 6. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)