Despite Senate order, Lacson's staff keep working

The staff of fugitive senator Panfilo Lacson’s keep working for their superior, 11 days after the effectivity of the Senate's suspension of his salary and office budget. The Senate issued a memorandum suspending the the release of the P2-million budget of Lacson's office and P36,000 salary of Lacson's salary, effective at the beginning of the month. However, Lacson's staff members on Monday said they have yet to receive a copy of the memorandum. They added that the order was issued without warning, catching them by surprise. "Lahat kami magugulat. Wala palang abiso yung mga gumawa niyan sa opisina (We were all surprised. Those who issued that order haven't informed our office)," said Lacson's media relations officer Alfredo Mañalac. The other staff members of Lacson refused to be quoted while the senator's chief of staff refused to comment at all. They all noted, however, that they will continue to work until they are personally told to do otherwise. Lacson's office employs around 30 people, one his staff staff said. Despite the senator's absence, he said they continue to draft bills on behalf of the fugitive lawmaker. Senate's decision Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who signed the memorandum, clarified that the staff of Lacson would not be relieved but would temporarily be transferred to the Office of the Senate Secretary. "We also had to see to it that his people, the members of his staff will not unduly be dislocated," he said, adding that he has left it up to the Senate secretary to carry out the order. Enrile admitted that it was "painful" to do something like that to a colleague. He noted, however, that they had no choice but to do it. "The Commission on Audit expressed some reservation regarding the continuation of supporting the financial needs of the Office of Senator Lacson, the Senate would not have any choice except to discontinue supporting the budget of Sen Lacson," he said. "While we wanted to be sympathetic and fair to a colleague in the Senate, (it is our) respoinsibility to the Filipino people and to the laws of the country to see to it that we will not in anyway violate the laws," he added. Enrile said that the memorandum is not appealable. "Just to show that the Senate considers his absence as really true and correct, we have to close the office and we do not want anybody to use it," he said, adding that he was just carrying out the consensus in the Senate. -VVP, GMANews.TV