Blue Ribbon not dropping NBN inquiry
BY DENNIS GADIL
SEN. Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday said the Senate will not allow itself to be castrated or tamed by a co-equal branch of government into abandoning the search for truth about the $329 million national broadband deal with China's ZTE Corp.
Cayetano, chair of the Blue Ribbon panel, said with the Supreme Court practically shielding Cabinet members, the joint Senate panel is working double time on getting new informants or witnesses from the private sector.
Cayetano said senators are pursuing their own leads or potential witness independently.
"Pero nag-uusap kami to compare notes," he said.
He said his own witness is gathering more evidence before coming out.
He said the ZTE hearings will resume as soon as resource persons become available regardless of the motion for reconsideration to be filed by the Senate on executive privilege ruling.
Nine of 15 justices last week sided with the decision of former Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to invoke executive privilege when asked about his conversations with President Arroyo in relation to the broadband deal.
Cayetano said a hearing was scheduled for today but not one among the invited government resource persons confirmed attendance.
"The resource persons mostly from government were told not to attend," he said.
He said Ruben Reyes is still out of the country and the Senate has failed to locate the residence of Quirino "Torch" de la Torre, a retired general.
ZTE walk-in witness Dante Madriaga has testified that Reyes and De la Torre were present in the negotiations on the ZTE project proposal to protect the interests of President Arroyo and her husband Mike.
On reports that De la Torre is ill, Cayetano said they have yet to receive official confirmation.
A DANGER TO DEMOCRACY
Senate President Manuel Villar said the use of the Supreme Court decision to evade Senate summons to Cabinet members indicates the dangers of the lopsided decision to democracy.
The Supreme Court last week, voting 10-5, ruled that Section 21 of Article VI of the Constitution requires the publication of the ground rules or rules of procedures that would govern the conduct of congressional inquiries.
The SC ruling emboldened Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to announce on Sunday that Cabinet members will invoke the SC ruling to prevent them from being summoned to the inquiries.
"With this statement, clearly, the SC decision is now being used as a shield for Cabinet members not to honor Senate invitations. It does not speak well of a system of check and balance that is supposed to be in place," he said.
"What we are seeing now is that any president has the liberty to do anything he or she pleases because there will be no more need for explaining. Lahat ng Cabinet member ay hindi na puwedeng sumagot." he said.
GAA HEARINGS INVALID?
On the assertion that Senate hearings in the past can be regarded as null and void in the absence of published rules, Villar reminded the executive department that previous Senate hearings include budget deliberations.
"Are they saying the Senate budget hearings that appropriated funds for the operation of this government, including our employees' salaries, are invalid?" Villar asked.
He maintained that the Senate Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation was published initially on Aug. 20, 1992 (Philippine Daily Inquirer) and Aug. 21, 1992 (Philippine Star).
Citing Senate records, Villar added that after amendments were introduced in the rules on Aug. 21, 1995, the amended rules were published on Aug. 24, 1995 (Philippine Star and Malaya). The rules without amendments were republished on Dec. 1, 2006 in the Inquirer and Star, he added.
"Needless to say, the Senate rules have been duly published in accordance with Section 21, Article VI of the Constitution," he said.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said regardless of whether the Palace prevents Cabinet members from testifying in the ZTE inquiry, it still cannot stop the inevitable that the truth will be unmasked.
PROTECT RESOURCE PERSONS
Cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo urged the Commission on Human Rights to take a look at the previous hearings of the Senate and help draw up a set of ground rules that would guarantee and uphold the rights of resource persons.
Saludo said the CHR should review the transcripts and videos of the previous Senate hearings to be able to help come up with a set of acceptable rules of procedures.
"Coaching, badgering and insulting witnesses will not serve the cause of truth and justice," he said. - With Gerard Naval and Jocelyn Montemayor
First: Acts 5:17-26
Resp: Psalm 34:2-9
Gospel: John 3:16-21
Today's Reflection on the Mass
SEN. Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday said the Senate will not allow itself to be castrated or tamed by a co-equal branch of government into abandoning the search for truth about the $329 million national broadband deal with China's ZTE Corp.
Cayetano, chair of the Blue Ribbon panel, said with the Supreme Court practically shielding Cabinet members, the joint Senate panel is working double time on getting new informants or witnesses from the private sector.
Cayetano said senators are pursuing their own leads or potential witness independently.
"Pero nag-uusap kami to compare notes," he said.
He said his own witness is gathering more evidence before coming out.
He said the ZTE hearings will resume as soon as resource persons become available regardless of the motion for reconsideration to be filed by the Senate on executive privilege ruling.
Nine of 15 justices last week sided with the decision of former Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to invoke executive privilege when asked about his conversations with President Arroyo in relation to the broadband deal.
Cayetano said a hearing was scheduled for today but not one among the invited government resource persons confirmed attendance.
"The resource persons mostly from government were told not to attend," he said.
He said Ruben Reyes is still out of the country and the Senate has failed to locate the residence of Quirino "Torch" de la Torre, a retired general.
ZTE walk-in witness Dante Madriaga has testified that Reyes and De la Torre were present in the negotiations on the ZTE project proposal to protect the interests of President Arroyo and her husband Mike.
On reports that De la Torre is ill, Cayetano said they have yet to receive official confirmation.
A DANGER TO DEMOCRACY
Senate President Manuel Villar said the use of the Supreme Court decision to evade Senate summons to Cabinet members indicates the dangers of the lopsided decision to democracy.
The Supreme Court last week, voting 10-5, ruled that Section 21 of Article VI of the Constitution requires the publication of the ground rules or rules of procedures that would govern the conduct of congressional inquiries.
The SC ruling emboldened Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to announce on Sunday that Cabinet members will invoke the SC ruling to prevent them from being summoned to the inquiries.
"With this statement, clearly, the SC decision is now being used as a shield for Cabinet members not to honor Senate invitations. It does not speak well of a system of check and balance that is supposed to be in place," he said.
"What we are seeing now is that any president has the liberty to do anything he or she pleases because there will be no more need for explaining. Lahat ng Cabinet member ay hindi na puwedeng sumagot." he said.
GAA HEARINGS INVALID?
On the assertion that Senate hearings in the past can be regarded as null and void in the absence of published rules, Villar reminded the executive department that previous Senate hearings include budget deliberations.
"Are they saying the Senate budget hearings that appropriated funds for the operation of this government, including our employees' salaries, are invalid?" Villar asked.
He maintained that the Senate Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation was published initially on Aug. 20, 1992 (Philippine Daily Inquirer) and Aug. 21, 1992 (Philippine Star).
Citing Senate records, Villar added that after amendments were introduced in the rules on Aug. 21, 1995, the amended rules were published on Aug. 24, 1995 (Philippine Star and Malaya). The rules without amendments were republished on Dec. 1, 2006 in the Inquirer and Star, he added.
"Needless to say, the Senate rules have been duly published in accordance with Section 21, Article VI of the Constitution," he said.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said regardless of whether the Palace prevents Cabinet members from testifying in the ZTE inquiry, it still cannot stop the inevitable that the truth will be unmasked.
PROTECT RESOURCE PERSONS
Cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo urged the Commission on Human Rights to take a look at the previous hearings of the Senate and help draw up a set of ground rules that would guarantee and uphold the rights of resource persons.
Saludo said the CHR should review the transcripts and videos of the previous Senate hearings to be able to help come up with a set of acceptable rules of procedures.
"Coaching, badgering and insulting witnesses will not serve the cause of truth and justice," he said. - With Gerard Naval and Jocelyn Montemayor
First: Acts 5:17-26
Resp: Psalm 34:2-9
Gospel: John 3:16-21
Today's Reflection on the Mass
posted by brodkaster43 at Miyerkules, Abril 02, 2008
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