Miriam lambasts US govt over WB refusal to release report

(Updated 1:30 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago was visibly frustrated on Thursday over the World Bank’s refusal to furnish the Senate a copy of its report on the alleged bribery in road projects in the country as she hurled a series of tirades against the United States for its "attitude problem." "How dare the United States lecture the rest of the world on democracy and not follow the rule of majority which is basic in any democracy," said Santiago, who chairs the Senate Economic Affairs Committee investigating the matter. "How dare the United States, which is one of the controlling power within the World Bank, invade Iran and Iraq without the authority of the security council when it is a member of the UN," she added. Later in the day, Santiago moved for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum against World Bank country director Bert Hoffman for failing to attend the hearing. "He did not honor our invitation, so on the motion of the chair, confident of the support of the members of the three committees which have been assigned to this issue, now declares its intention to issue subpoena duces tecum to Mr. Hoffman," Santiago said. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile agreed with the move. "I will sign the subpoena duces tecum if it is presented to me," Enrile told the committee. "I take the responsibility of bringing that guy here." Obama administration Earlier in the hearing, Santiago said the so-called "unilateral approach" being observed by the World Bank in dealing with international law was instigated by the administration of former US President George W. Bush, as she expressed hope that the policy would change under the new administration. "I sincerely hope that the Obama administration will change that attitude," the Santiago said. "They have an attitude problem in America." Santiago maintained that the Bank should have already provided senators copies of the report linking First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to the mess, after she apparently ruled in favor of the lifting of the confidentiality rule on the bank documents. "We are not bound by what the World Bank says," Santiago said. "It is not for the World Bank to make a judgment on the opinion of the Philippine Senate, a sovereign agency of a sovereign country." The senator said the World Bank should respect the decision of the Senate and observe the respective laws governing each country. "This emphasizes that the rule of business here, just like the rule in business enterprise, you come to a country and you take the rule of system as you find it," she said. Santiago also hit the WB for its statement saying it would furnish copies of the report only for the Finance Department and the Office of the Ombudsman when the matter concerns national laws. "Their statement doesn’t make sense to me," she said. "Nanghingi lang tayo ng kopya, ayaw nila ibigay [We are merely asking for copies of the report]. What’s wrong with that? There is no confidentiality with that WB document, period." Exempted At the start of the hearing, Santiago allowed Mr. Arroyo to be exempted from the proceedings, taking into consideration of the advice of the latter’s attending physician. Dr. Antonio Sibulo Jr. said he was, however, open to the idea of having the First Gentleman entertain senators’ questions by submitting a written reply. Also present at the Senate probe were Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves. Also at the hearing, Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II lamented that the issue of bid-rigging in WB-funded projects not only implicated Mr. Arroyo’s but also tarnished the Philippines' reputation in the international community. For their part, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pilar Cayetano both said Mr. Arroyo should not always "hide under the cloak of his medical condition" to evade being grilled at the hearings. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV