Senate probe on Garcia deal, AFP corruption to resume next week

The Senate will continue with its joint committee hearing on the controversial plea bargain deal between former military comptroller Carlos Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman as well as the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces next week. In an advisory, blue ribbon committee chairman Senator Teofisto Guingona III said they will conduct the hearing on Friday next week at 9 a.m. Guingona, who is out of the country, earlier said they were to resume the inquiry on Thursday next week. The inquiry is being conducted jointly by the blue ribbon committee and the committee on justice and human rights chaired by Sen. Francis Escudero. Escudero would have wanted the hearing to resume this week if not for the death of former Defense chief Angelo Reyes earlier in the day. Reyes had been accused by former military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa of receiving around P100 million during his stint as AFP chief of staff and not less than P50 million more as "pabaon" (send-off money) when he retired in 2001. Reyes had denied the allegation and accused Rabusa of smearing his reputation. "This would also enable all of us to take stock and gain perspective of recent events and the steps we should take in the weeks and months ahead with only the best interests of our country and people, as well as the men and women in uniform in the AFP, in mind," said Escudero. Formal consensus Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said the Senate has a formal consensus supporting the deferment of the joint hearings. "Whether we like it or not, napapagitna doon sa mga usapan si Sec. Reyes (Sec. Reyes was involved in the probe). (But) in sympathy with the family... the most prudent thing to do is to postpone or defer the hearings," Sotto said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Ramong Bong Revilla Jr. said the Senate should just postpone its hearings until Reyes has been laid to rest. "I shall personally request the committee to suspend the hearings indefinitely or until the wake is over for us to pause in prayer and reflect over the untimely death of former Sec. Angelo Reyes," said Estrada. "Bilang mga Pilipino at Kristiyano, bigyang-galang muna natin si Secretary Reyes at ang kanyang pamilya. Hayaan muna natin sila sa panahong ito ng pagdadalamhati (As Filipinos and Christians, let's respect Sec. Reyes and his family. Let us give them time to grieve)," added Revilla. Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan, however, urged his colleagues to expedite the investigation on the irregularities within the military. "We should not let this incident deter our efforts in curbing pervasive corruption. In fact, this brings a degree of urgency to PNoy’s advocacy against corruption. For how many sad stories must our countrymen be subjected to before we see true justice being served? Justice cannot be served this way; not through trial by publicity, but by a strong justice system," he said. "Reyes is a victim of a corrupt system. If his death should have any meaning, it should lead to real reforms in the armed forces in particular, and the entire government bureaucracy in general," he added. Guingona, however, assured the public that Reyes' death can only "strengthen" their resolve to bring their investigation to "a swift, just and rightful conclusion." "We are confident that Secretary Reyes shares with all of us the aspiration to help shed light on AFP-related issues and help reform the institution," he said. Sen. Gregorio Honasan, for his part, said that it might be better to "moderate" all congressional probes so that no more people will suffer the fate of Reyes. "In the pursuit fo justice, we should also moderate the conduct of our inquiries, so we do not subject unnecessarily the persons involved to trial by publicity," Honasan told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Tuesday. A classmate of Garcia at the Philippine Military Academy, Honasan added that the media, public, and lawmakers should understand what kind of effect this can have on a person. "This is sad. We condole with the family of Sec. Reyes. Maybe this could have been avoided," he said. "This would be a wakeup call for all of us who should moderate our disclosure of (these issues so) that the names, rights, and reputation (of those involved) are not prematurely subjected to trial by publicity," he added. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMANews.TV