Group wants Arroyo to face fertilizer fund scam inquiry

(Updated 3:23 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - A left-leaning fisherfolk alliance on Sunday urged the Senate blue ribbon committee to subpoena President Arroyo when it reopens probe on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam. Fernando Hicap, chairman of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said although President Arroyo enjoys immunity from suit, she is not excused from testifying on the scam since this is in aid of legislation. Hicap also said the Senate constitutional and legal mandate to perform its oversight powers against erring and corrupt officials from the president down to local officials. "We are not talking here of presidential immunity, neither diplomatic agreements nor national security concerns. Therefore, Mrs. Arroyo, who is at the center of this scandal is constitutionally, lawfully, morally and politically obliged to go the Senate to testify either as a willing witness or hostile witness to the P 728-million fertilizer fund scam," Hicap said. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said he will reopen the investigation on the fertilizer fund mess following the arrival of former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, the alleged architect of the scam, in the country last week. The scam refers to the P728-million worth of fertilizer funds that were allegedly diverted to President Arroyo’s campaign kitty in the 2004 national elections. During the 13th Congress, the Senate agriculture committee had recommended to the Ombudsman the filing of charges against government personalities allegedly involved in the said scam but stopped short in including the President. Hicap said Cayetano should immediately issue the subpoena on President Arroyo. "Senator Cayetano is well informed that the President Arroyo is the alleged mastermind of the multi-hundred million fertilizer scam and she can't escape insistent public demand for her to testify. (He) must issue the subpoena to President Arroyo anytime this week," Hicap said. Senator Edgardo Angara, however, maintained that it is pointless for the Senate to resurrect its investigation on fertilizer-fund scam, saying the upper body had already found Bolante guilty. In an interview over radio dzBB, Angara said that as far the Senate 13th Congress is concerned, Bolante’s case has been closed and he has been convicted “guilty.” “As far as the Senate is concerned na convict na namin to eh. We found him guilty na eh. Hindi naman kami pwedeng magbigay ng sentensiya kaya pinass na namin sa tribunal na pwedeng mag try at mag convict (The Senate had already found Bolante guilty, but we can’t sentence him so we referred the case to the proper tribunal),” Angara told dzBB radio reporter Nimfa Ravelo in an interview Sunday afternoon. Stressing that the judiciary has now the authority over the Bolante issue, Angara, who is current chair of Senate Committee on Agriculture, said he does not plan on endorsing the case. Citing the “rule of law,” Angara said it would be better if his colleagues would leave the matter to the Ombudsman, since it has better capacity to dig deeper into the issue. He also said he could not understand why some of his colleagues are insisting on the reopening of the case. “Ano ba ang gusto natin sa kasong fertilizer scam? Gusto natin malaman kung sino ang kasabwat ni Bolante? Kung gusto natin malaman yun, andiyan na ang Ombudsman. Bakit hindi natin pabayaan ang imbestigasyon ng Ombudsman?” he said. (“If we want to know the other personalities involved in the scam aside from Bolante, then it’s better that we leave the Ombudsman to investigate the case.”) He, however, challenged the Ombudsman to show objectivity on the matter. “Well isang public concern kaya kailangan talaga mag pakita silang ng objectivity. Umaasa tayo na with the high public interest sa kasong ito mas magiging objective at mabilis ang Ombudsman on this case (This is a public concern so the Ombudsman must be fast and objective in their probe),” Angara said. Malacañang, on the other hand, distanced itself from the planned reopening of the fertilizer fund scam investigation, saying it has no intentions of interfering with the Senate. "Whether the Senate blue ribbon committee will reopen the investigation or not is for the Senate and Senate alone to decide. Whatever their move, the Palace has absolutely no intentions of interfering," said Gabriel Claudio, President Arroyo's political adviser. - GMANews.TV