SCTEx issue raises questions about Noynoy's leadership

An allegedly overpriced toll expressway in Central Luzon is now hounding the presidential ambition of Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, with his opponents linking it to his ability to lead the country. "It's a question of leadership. If he [Noynoy] cannot control his family, how can he control the country?" said Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla. The road in question is the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), which traverses Hacienda Luisita, the 600-hectare sugar plantation owned by Aquino’s clan in Tarlac province. Remulla's brother, former congressman Gilbert Remulla, is the spokesman of the Nacionalista Party, which has Senator Manuel Villar Jr. as its standard bearer in next year’s elections. The House oversight committee on Wednesday conducted a probe on the issue. Remulla denied the investigation was politically-motivated, pointing out that among those who filed the resolution to probe the controversy was Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, the spokesman of Aquino’s political group, the Liberal Party (LP). Remulla said the investigation would seek to determine the reason why the price of the SCTEx construction, originally at P15.7 billion, suddenly shot up to P32.8 billion in the end. But Tañada said Remulla's statement linking Aquino to the SCTEx controversy was baseless. "If there's nothing to prove that his family used influence in attaining certain favors, there's nothing to control," he said. The LP spokesman said it is the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) which should answer for anomalies regarding the alleged overpricing in the construction of the toll way. Aquino had earlier said allegations that he lobbied President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to have the Tarlac exit of the toll way built inside the hacienda were fabricated. He said records would show that he had nothing to do with the SCTEX project as it was initiated during the Estrada administration. "Lahat ng kuwentong kutsero inilalabas na nila para sirain ako (They are fabricated all sorts of story to ruin my reputation)," Aquino said. According to Hacienda Luisita legal counsel Antonio Ligon, Aquino owns only around 1 percent of Hacienda Luisita's shares. Almost 34 percent is owned by Hacienda Luista farmers, while the rest is divided among other Cojuangco family members and the Tarlac Development Corp. Hacienda Luisita-related controversies have been raised against Aquino ever since he declared his intention to run for president next year. - GMANews.TV