Miriam wants Mike Arroyo's testimony through deposition

MANILA, Philippines – The head of the Senate panel investigating the alleged rigging of bids for World Bank-funded road projects in the Philippines is bent on hearing the testimony of First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike" Arroyo, one of several personalities supposedly named by the agency in its report. In a radio interview Sunday morning, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairwoman of the Committee on Economic Affairs, said that should Mr. Arroyo fail to attend the hearing on Thursday due to health concerns, the panel may hold the inquiry before him instead. “Instead of forcing him to appear before the Senate, we will instead go to him," Santiago said in Filipino during an interview on DZBB. She added: "In a deposition, a lawyer and a stenographer from the Senate will attend to Mr. Arroyo and his lawyer. The Senate lawyer will then ask our questions on our behalf." “He will answer the questions long distance. Then the transcript will be submitted to the Senate," she said. Santiago said this following the statement of Ruy Rondain, Mr. Arroyo’s counsel, that he cannot assure the attendance of his client pending consultation with the First Gentleman’s doctors. Mr. Arroyo had undergone several medical operations in the past due to health problems. Santiago’s committee is leading the Senate investigation on the World Bank’s blacklisting of three Filipino firms for alleged bid-rigging in infrastructure projects funded by the agency. Secondary investigators include the Senate Finance Committee under Sen. Edgardo Angara, and the Senate Public Works Committee under Sen. Ramon “Bong" Revilla Jr. Last Friday, Santiago invited Mr. Arroyo and present and former government officials supposedly mentioned in the World Bank report on the blacklisted contractors’ alleged collusive practices. In the radio interview, Santiago clarified that the plan to hold a “deposition" is only her suggestion, which she will have to consult first with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sens. Edgardo Angara and Bong Revilla. She however added that she would tell her colleagues that she prefers a deposition rather than a prepared statement by Mr. Arroyo’s representative. WB report Also in the same interview, Santiago reiterated her call to Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to produce the copy of the World Bank report that allegedly cited testimonies from witnesses that Mr. Arroyo had to be bribed first before contractors can hold businesses in the country. The senator last week sent a letter to WB Country Director Bert Hofman asking for an original copy of the report, but Hofman on Friday denied Santiago’s request for the document. Currently, on hand are excerpts of the report, which Santiago said could be admitted as “secondary evidence." Santiago said that even if Teves had explained he referred his copy of the report to Gutierrez, the Finance Secretary is required to keep a copy for himself. “Even if you refer sa ibang tao, kailangan may kopya ka ng sarili mo…Si Ombudsman Gutierrez, siya ang magdadala ng bola dito…Kaya siya binigyan ng kopya para malaman kung sino ang dapat i-prosecute niya," Santiago said. [“Even if you refer the report to someone else, you still have to keep your own copy. But the ball is now on Ombudsman Gutierrez’s hands. She was given a copy of the report so that she may know who to prosecute."] Santiago then balked at the challenge given by Sen. Manuel “Mar" Roxas II to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to create an independent panel that would look into the First Gentleman's supposed involvement in the mess. Rules of Court Santiago also lashed back at her critics who said she was turning the Senate inquiry into a court proceedings where she supposedly gives more importance on following the Rules of Court instead of holding the inquiry in aid of legislation. Santiago said if she would conduct the hearing arbitrarily without following court rules on the presentation of evidence, the court may eventually dismiss the recommendations of her committee. “If I will hastily conduct a public hearing without proving the authenticity of the documents, the court will dismiss my committee report. People can apply the Rules of Court in inquiries in aid of legislation," she said in Filipino. She also stressed that “we live under a rule of law. We cannot obey our instincts or gut feel." - GMANews.TV