Will essential to anti-graft campaign’s success: Lacson - Malaya 06/21/2006

SEN. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said it is political will and not P1 billion in funding that will spell success for the government’s anti-graft and corruption campaign to be led by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Lacson said the government just has to demonstrate political will by starting with members of the First Family who are suspected of wrongdoing. He said this would send the message to corrupt officials that they could be the next target.

The P1 billion ordered released by President Arroyo last Monday is the country’s counterpart to the $20.685 million grant from the United States under its Millennium Challenge Account.

Lacson said there is no need to release such a fund to fight corruption if the Arroyo government has the political will to go after corrupt officials. "You don’t need to spend even P1 million to address the corruption or anomalies that we have investigated in the Senate," he said, citing the fertilizer fund that was allegedly diverted to the campaign kitty of President Arroyo in the 2004 elections, and the anomalous $470 million IMPSA deal to rehabilitate the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan (CBK) power plant in Laguna which has been gathering dust at the Office of the Ombudsman in the last three years.

"We can go on and on mentioning so many anomalies na pwede naman ipakita ang political will without releasing P1 billion," Lacson said.

Outgoing Senate president Franklin Drilon welcomed the anti-corruption drive, noting that 40 percent of public funds are lost to graft and corruption but also singled out political will as the main ingredient.

He said the Senate could actively participate in government’s anti-corruption drive by using the P1-bilion fund to mount more congressional probes.

Drilon said the government lacks credibility to effectively spearhead an anti-corruption campaign and hinted that the Senate was in a better position to lead it.

"Iyan po ang problema ng ating pamumuno ngayon na kahit anong gawin, ang taong bayan ay hirap na hirap na tanggapin na totoo ang kanilang mga sinasabi," he said. "Ang kredibilidad ng ating pamahalaan ay talagang below freezing point, ‘ika nga kaya minus, minus, minus," he said.

Lacson said the release of the P1 billion could be "just a diversion of issues and attention" from the second impeachment complaint being readied against President Arroyo.

While describing this year’s complaint as "nil," Lacson added that there is a good chance that the impeachment would reach the Senate "because next year will be an election period."

"So, some congressmen even if they belong to the administration might have a second look at their positions (they might switch sides) kaya sabi ko baka makatsamba rin," he said.

He said new, prominent faces in the pro-impeachment camp would give "life" to the second attempt to impeach Mrs. Arroyo.

"It shows new faces and personalities with credibility. People like (former Supreme Court) Justice Isagani Cruz, Lumbera and the others. If we see the usual suspects filing the impeachment complaint, then hindi masyadong attractive ika nga sa mga ibang tao," he said. – JP Lopez and Dennis Gadil