Philippines: Palace urged to copperate in Senate ‘cash gift’ probe

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr.
(PDP-Laban) today urged Malacañang to allow Cabinet
members, Palace aides, as well as congressmen and
governors allied or not with the administration, to
testify at the Senate inquiry into the distribution of
money at the Palace on October 11 if it wants the
truth behind the incident to come out.

Pimentel assailed a Malacañang statement that the
Palace will not cooperate with the legislative probe
and instead impose a gag order on officials of the
executive order who will be invited and summoned to
the hearings.

“If it is true as Malacañang insists, that the money
distributed during the Palace meeting, ranging from
P200,000 to P500,000 to each congressman and governor,
did not come from the government and President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo did not have anything to do with the
alleged payoff, let them prove their claim by not
preventing the appearance of administration
personalities who will be invited to the Senate
probe,” he said.

The minority leader stressed that the Senate, in
conducting the inquiry, is merely discharging its
mandated function to check the actuations of the
executive branch.

Should Malacañag block the inquiry by not granting
permission to invite officials of the executive
branch, Pimentel said this will instantly create the
impression that the Palace is trying to camouflage the
truth. Also, he said this will lend credence to
suspicion that the President, knew or had a hand in
the distribution of the largesse.

On the participation of the congressmen in the Senate
probe to start on Wednesday, Pimentel said they can be
asked to testify without violating the inter-chamber
courtesy rule between the Senate and House of
Representatives.

“There will be no breach of the inter-chamber courtesy
if they will accept the Senate invitation or
voluntarily appear at the hearing,” he said.

He said there have been a number of instances in the
past when congressmen honored the invitation of the
Senate to testify in its investigation on matters
where they are involved or have knowledge for the sake
of truth and the public interest.

Pimentel said the inquiry intends to determine the
purpose for which they money was distributed, where it
came from and who received it.

If the money came form the public coffers, he said it
is very important that the actual source of funds, the
government agencies and the public officials who
facilitated the disbursement involved should be
pinpointed.

“But whether the money came from the government or
private sources, the persons involved in their
distribution will be in deep trouble. For if it is
taxpayers’ money, they may be liable for malversation.
On the other hand, if it came form private
corporations or individuals, it may constitute lobby
or bribe money. Meaning, it is being given in
consideration of certain government favors,” Pimentel
said.
-o0o-

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