Iggy can’t invoke inter-parliamentary courtesy in Senate probe — solons

Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo cannot invoke the so-called tradition of inter-parliamentary courtesy to evade the Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation on the allegedly anomalous sale of two helicopters to the National Police in 2009, some of his colleagues said Wednesday. Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas said the Senate has the powers to invite a member of the House of Representatives, since inter-parliamentary courtesy — or the tradition of both chambers of Congress to insulate each other from their respected affairs — "is not a tight rule." "It is all up to the Senate as courtesy is a two-way street. If it lays down such parameters, so be it," Fariñas said in a text message. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares likewise said that Iggy Arroyo cannot avoid the Senate probe using inter-parliamentary courtesy as an excuse, since the Senate’s power to summon witnesses is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution. "Parliamentary courtesy is not a law but a mere tradition and cannot trump the Constitution... Congressman Iggy should not hide behind it and [instead] face investigation lalo na’t sabi nila wala silang kasalanan," Colmenares said in a separate text message. 'Waste of time' But for Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., it would have been better if the Senate coursed its invitation to Iggy Arroyo through the office of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. "Inter-parliamentary courtesy dictates that if the Senate wants to invite a member of the House to a Senate probe, they should course the invitation through the Speaker and it will remain to be an invitation and not a compulsory process," he said. House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, for his part, said the Senate should not “waste time" investigating the alleged chopper anomaly and should instead bring the case to the courts, "Hindi iyan ang kelangang gawin. Kung sino ang may ebidensya na may nagawang krimen, dalahin sa husgado o sa piskalya," Lagman said in a separate press briefing. Iggy on a one-month leave Rep. Arroyo’s attendance in the Senate inquiry, however, seems uncertain since the lawmaker is on a one-month medical leave. The office of Rep. Arroyo said the lawmaker filed the leave from August 9 to September 8 before the House Secretary General. Rep. Arroyo left the country for London last Tuesday. None of his staff can tell when exactly he will return to the Philippines. Senate invite Earlier in the day, the Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday formally invited Iggy Arroyo to the continuation of its inquiry on Monday on the PNP choppers controversy, which involves the alleged sale of secondhand helicopters to the police force as brand new. It marked the first time in recent years that a member of the House had been invited to attend a Senate investigation. In defending his brother on Monday, Iggy Arroyo said former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo did not own the Robinson helicopters sold as new to the PNP since they were only leased from Lionair Inc.— the company owned by Archibald Po, who linked the former First Gentleman to the scandal. Po testified in a Senate blue ribbon inquiry two weeks ago that the former First Gentleman was the previous owner of the choppers. In 2003, Rep. Arroyo had also defended his brother in the controversy involving the multi-million peso Jose Pidal accounts. He claimed his brother did not own the accounts, saying he opened the accounts in two local banks for security purposes. — RSJ, GMA News