Villar: Bolante can't attend House probe without Senate permit

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Manuel Villar on Tuesday said former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn 'Joc Joc' Bolante would not be able to attend the investigation of the House of Representatives without the permission of the Senate. In an interview with reporters, Villar said the House has to send a letter requesting Senate for the presence of Bolante on the former's inquiry on the multi-million fertilizer fund scam set on Wednesday. "Wala akong request na natatanggap mula sa anumang office tungkol sa kanya. So since wala naman akong natatanggap na pakiusap o anuman, wala akong aaksyunan (I have yet to receive a request from any office so since there is no request, there is nothing to act on)," Villar said. "Eh sila ang nag-uusap. Pero ako naman ang magbibigay ng order eh (They are talking with Bolante but I am the one who will issue the order)," the Senate leader said. Villar maintained Senate's custody over the former agriculture official. "Nasa custody ng Senate (He is under the custody of the Senate). As far as I'm concerned he is under the custody of the Senate and wala akong nakikitang dahilan para alisin sya dun ( I see no reason why we should remove him from our custody)," the Senate President said. Villar added that Bolante cannot act on his own. "Nasa custody natin siya. So hindi namin siya hahayaan na umalis ng kanya lang kagustuhan (We will not allow him to go to the House on his own)." He further said he has to consult first with the chairman of the committee hearing the P728-million fertilizer fund scam on what they will do with the request. "Let's face it. If there is a request, I will have to consult with the chairman, 'yung mga magha-handle nito. Mahirap naman magsalita ako ng hindi ko man lang sila nakonsulta (It's hard to make a decision without consulting the committee chairman)," Villar said. Sen Alan Peter Cayetano, head of the Blue Ribbon committee, will be the one handling the inquiry on Bolante. "Kung hindi naman nila ko kikilalanin, hindi ko rin naman sila kikilalanin. Nasa amin ang kostodiya (If they will not recognize our custody over Bolante, I will not recognize them as well)," Villar said. In a separate interview, Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago believed the House erred in not asking the Senate permission to have Bolante attend their probe on Wednesday morning. "Out of courtesy to the Senate, the House could have requested that Bolante be made to appear in the House. It was in effect a sin of omission, because the Senate has custody of Bolante," Santiago said. She said the House cannot remove Bolante from St. Luke's Medical Center without the Senate's consent. "It was an oversight on the part of the House," Santiago said. She expressed apprehension that investigations on Bolante may not be fruitful as the latter can invoke his right against self-incrimination. "He might appear merely as a courtesy to the Senate or the House, but he has a right to invoke his constitutionally protected privilege against self-incrimination. If the person is the accused himself, he has the right to completely abstain from testifying, unlike an ordinary witness," Santiago said. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV