Senate not throwing in towel yet on Neri

A Senate tri-panel is not about to raise the white flag on the issue of executive privilege by Romulo Neri as it is considering filing a second motion for reconsideration.

"We’re seriously discussing whether we should file this (MR) to show to the high court that they have gone into the rule-making powers of the Senate," Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the lead panel, the Blue Ribbon committee, said in a media briefing.

He said his panel and the committees on defense and trade, chaired by Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Mar Roxas, will meet Monday or Wednesday to firm up their course of action.

The Supreme Court, voting 9-6, last Sept. 4 upheld the principle of "presumptive presidential communications privilege" and ruled that the questions Neri refused to answer in the Senate were covered by executive privilege.

The questions were on whether President Arroyo followed up the ZTE project with Neri; on whether Neri was dictated by the President to prioritize the project; and on whether Neri was told by the President to go ahead with the project after being told of an alleged bribe offer.

Cayetano said the tri-panel may also propose changes to the Senate rules to satisfy part of the ruling of the Tribunal.

The SC, in its ruling, noted the Senate failed to publish its rules on congressional inquiries before inviting public officials to its probe on the $329 million national broadband network contract with China’s ZTE Corp.

The contract was cancelled by President Arroyo in October 2007 after some government officials were linked to bribery allegations that attended the broadband deal.

The SC also sustained that advance copies of the questions to be asked by senators should be sent to invited cabinet and government officials.

Cayetano said they have decided to defer their last hearing this month as they have to first address the issue on the Senate rules.

"We will pass our recommendation to the revision of the rules. Once the revision of the rules is passed, then we can have the last hearing right away," he said.

"In the meantime full speed ahead pa rin kami sa paghahanda ng preliminary report," he said. – Dennis Gadil