By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Nothing prevents the group headed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano from discussing the flood control scandal, but based on Batangas District II representative Gerville Abanilla ‘Jinky Bitrics’ Luistro’s take on the matter, she believes this will just be a freedom of expression exercise since it would not get the approval of the Senate leadership.
In a press briefing, Luistro and other members of the House prosecution team for Vice President ‘Inday’ Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial were asked about the Cayetano bloc’s plans to hold a hearing of the blue ribbon committee outside the Senate.
In response, the Batagueña lawmaker replied that for a hearing to be considered an inquiry in aid of legislation, it had to secure the approval of the Senate leadership, which she said is under acting Senate President Sherwin ‘Win’ Gatchalian.
“What they will do, perhaps you can charge that to freedom of expression. But in as far as legitimate inquiry and aid of legislation is concerned, let us remember that we have the new leadership in the Senate,” she noted.
“Everything that they should do in order that it will fall within the purview of a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation, it must be sanctioned by the leadership. Nonetheless, with all due respect to them, it is a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression,” she added.
Yesterday, rumors spread that Cayetano’s group will hold a blue ribbon committee hearing today, June 16, but incumbent chairperson Senator Erwin Tulfo revealed that no hearing has been actually scheduled—contrary to the social media post of former House lawmaker Michael ‘Mike’ Defensor.
In the meantime, the new majority bloc led by Gatchalian stressed that Sen. Cayetano is no longer the Senate president.
Prosecution team member and San Juan congresswoman Ysabel Maria Zamora cited that the panel does not want to be involved in the Senate leadership issue, but what the House of Representatives, Malacañang and other legal luminaries recognize as the legitimate Senate leadership is that of Gatchalian’s group.
“If I may add, the prosecutors will not muddle ourselves, muddle our time with the Senate leadership issues. But we recognize the leadership of Senate President pro tempore Gatchalian as this has been recognized by Malacañang, by all law schools, by law professors, justices of the Supreme Court,” Zamora pointed out.
“As of the moment, we have been following the leadership of Senator Gatchalian and we are, in fact, we submitted our pleadings before the impeachment court under his leadership. Thus, while we recognize that it is within their right to hold such meetings outside the Senate, they may do so, of course—but then again we follow the leadership of Senator Gatchalian,” the San Juan lady solon asserted.
As for prosecution spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman ‘Zia’ Alonto Adiong, the hearing is a mere public relations (PR) stunt to divert the people’s attention from the impeachment.
“I don’t think even within the Senate, the current leadership now sanctioned this parallel blue ribbon investigation; it only validates our previous observation that this is just a PR stunt to divert the attention of the public from the issue of impeachment,” he opined.
“So, I think it’s just a diversionary tactic, if you ask me, my humble observation, to create a parallel issue that actually would, in a way, sway the attention of the public. But the public knows that the primary concern now of the Senate, since they have already convened as an impeachment court, is to exercise their exclusive power granted to them by the Constitution,” he claimed.
ia/xf
