From GMANews:
Opposition Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday said it was too early for Malacañang to claim vindication over statements that there was no direct testimony linking President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the national broadband network deal with China’s ZTE Corp.
In an interview with GMA’s Unang Balita, Cayetano said the Senate has gathered a “vast amount of evidence” pointing to the President’s involvement in the controversial deal.
“It is very premature for (Executive) Secretary (Eduardo) Ermita to say that. You cannot take one statement and then ignore the other,” Cayetano said in an interview with GMA News.
“He cannot say that Mrs Arroyo has been cleared of the issue due to lack of direct testimony linking her to the controversy because there were vast amount of evidence on record leading to the Office of the President. Of course, I was referring to the President herself,” he added.
The senator said if the Palace really thinks Mrs Arroyo has nothing to do with the multi-million national broadband network project, it should cooperate with the Senate committees conducting hearings the issue.
“I challenge Malacanang to cooperate. Why don’t they attend the hearings so that we could finally put an end to the issue,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano said up to the present, Malacañang has refused to give copies of the documents requested by the Senate and bars resource persons from attending the hearings.
“Even with the lifting of Executive Order 464, government officials still fail to go the committee hearings,” he said.
Ermita on Wednesday said the Senate report is a “vindication” for the Arroyo administration. “It is a vindication definitely in the national leadership.” He said it was very clear from the start that there is no evidence linking the President to the ZTE scam.
In the interview, Cayetano said Ermita should wait for Senate to release its report on its investigation before claiming victory.
Cayetano said they are now putting together the committee report to enable them to submit to the Senate their recommendations to prevent a repeat of the NBN-ZTE deal.
“We need to submit the report and the remedial legislations and reforms before the Senate goes on break on the second week of June,” Cayetano said.
He added they are giving the witnesses another two weeks to decide if they will surface although he noted that the Seante “we cannot wait forever because as we are talking Malacañang maybe negotiating new loans similar to the ZTE deal.” – Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV
The Senate should not give Gloria and her henchmen a moment’s respite — this ZTE-NBN deal needs to be investigated to the very end.
There are many questions that are unanswered. The only way to put an end to this is when those responsible for trying to con the nation, regardless of who they are and what they represent, have been put behind bars.
Senate must not be coy — they must be aggressive but just.
Cayetano should be pro-active. Listen and look at the unspoken. The answers are there.
I mean, unspoken evidence.
Cayetano has learned the art of back tracking statement…from Malacanang. If he is a determined senator to seek the truth, why should he terminate the ZTE hearing?
Tama si Sen Cayetano may direct link nga ang palasyo sa mga anomalya ng zte, ang tanong may magagawa ba sila. ang bansa natin ay nasa constructive martial law na kaya siga na ang mga humahawak ng baril sa pamumuno ni gma.
Panahon na lang ang makakapagsabi kung kailan magbabayad ang pangit na gobyerno ni gloria na puno ng anomalya kabi-kabila. Mukhang sa kabilang buhay na lang magbabayad ang magasawang pidal, sa dami ng pera laging makakalibre yan.
With or without direct link, we apply the doctrine of command responsibility. She has done us irreparable damage.
Lawyers are special people who make simple things complicated.
The more complicated they make of simple things, the brighter they are – or so they think. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, is a lawyer. So he makes a simple thing complicated.
To bitchevil:
Yeah, I was asking myself the same thing. Why did he terminate the ZTE hearing. If Cayetano is really anti Arroyo, why make such a move? According to Abante Tonight, the source of this information, it says that Cayetano suggested to focus on the next expose called the “North Rail Project”. If this were really true, it would be such a great disappointment. Anyway, Ellen said she’ll get to the facts and would let us know. In the meantime lets hold our horses.
Earlier during the ZTE hearing, Ping Lacson was pissed at Alan Cayetano when the latter revealed the witness who was to appear in the Senate. As a result, the witness was afraid because of Alan’s revelation. Some of Alan’s actions in the Senate contradict his statements to media and his display of anti-Arroyo. Beware of this smart senator…Like Father, Like Son? Well, I was not impressed with his late father anyway. With respect to the deceased, I shall not mention the sins of the elder Cayetano when he was still alive.
My feel is that ZTE will end at the feet of Alan’s master, Enrique Razon.
Masyadong soft ang BRC ni Cayetano, (paying political debts?). Sayang talaga, kung hindi sa oportunistang Villar who is an expert in back channeling and back stabbing, si Ping sana ang BRC chair.
Among the Senators, Ping Lacson is more qualified to head the Blue Ribbon Committee due to his uncompromising, no non-sense style of investigation.
Agree with bitchevil re Ping Lacson — but he’ll find it difficult to be a lone ranger in that dubious Senate of ours.
Incidentally, am watching CNN right now and they’re discussing corruption in many developing nations and the killing of journalists (Philippines is on their watch list where journalists get killed and murders unresolved); Philippines is one of them. No matter what our leaders say, the Philippines still belong to the company of nations ruled by scum leaders.
Philippines is notoriously known for its corruption and killing of journalists says the host of the interview! At least Philippines tops the list (along with Pakistan) IN SOMETHING!
No amount of acting holier than thou can change world perception that the Philippines is among very very very disturbed nations!
Bitchdevil: Lawyers are special people who make simple things complicated.
******
Only in the Philippines, Bitchdevil. My lawyers in the US for instance won my case without even trying to complicate things but present my deposition as simply and honestly as the evidences can prove my case, and the laws exhausted with one intern and myself acting as paralegal.
It is the same in Japan, where I am based. The laws of Japan in fact have been revised recently not to make the complicated but to simplify the wordings so that even non-legal people can comprehend and understand them and prevent anyone from misinterpreting the law, and say that the law is complicated to be interpreted correctly.
Over in the Philippines, there are just too many useless laws that the idiots in the Philippine Senate and Congress even take pride of owning to them as the authors and only serve them and those who have paid them to pass, approve and implement them. Worse is when they cannot even follow but violate the very same laws they pass because they just copied the said law from somewhere written in English made complicated even by wrong interpretation of the English words that I doubt they really have the same understanding as their native language. Tawag diyan, bobo na stupid pa!
Kawawang bansa!
Lumabas din ang pagka hunyango ni Cayetano.Ang labas nito ay parang hinubuan ng pantalon si Lozada sa publiko ng mga senadores.Delikado ang kalagayan ni Lozada dahil sasabihin ng Malacanang na sintunado ang kansion ni Jun Lozada ng DE COLORES.
Thanks grizzy…but do you agree that lawyers are trained to manipulate the laws?
Nope, Bitchdevil, never! Lawyers are not trained to manipulate the law but to uphold the law. At least, that is the kind of impresson I have had working with lawyers here in Japan as translator/interpreter of the court, and parttime paralegal especially in cases involving foreign nationals.
Truth is I have studied law and trained to be a paralegal as a matter of fact. Over in Japan, lawyers are careful not to misinterpret the law nor attempt to save their clients by circumventing/maniputaling the law especially when the police/prosecutors have done their duties and responsibilities well enough for law and justice to prevail.
Lawyers? Mga kulang ang pinagaralan, kulang sa review, masuwerte lang manalo kung natutulog ang kalaban. Moot ang case pag nasa govierno.
I just read that the UN has put a ‘shameless tag’ on the government of Korap Gloria in connection with the high number of human rights violation and extra-judicial killings of media practitioners and labor leaders.
Gloria has got so many negative tags already but the bitch just plays dedma. Even that shameless tag from the UN has no effect on her.
Nasa kodakan mode na naman si Gloria, taking advantage of the ‘lull’ effect of her rice shortage bluff on the restless kapinuyan. Pinoys had been had again by the bitch wagging her tail.
Tigas kamote lang pala itong si Cayetano. Magaling lang sa umpisa susuko rin sa huli. Mukhang nahokuspokos na naman ng Malacanang ang Senado.
Tigas kamote, hahahaha! Meron pang ambaling.
Sa akin naman itong si Sen. Cayetano ay nabubulungan behind curtains. Sa kanyang malambot na paninindigan ay wala siyang ipinagiba sa isang artista ng moro moro na kung ano ang sasabihin ng promter ay siya niyang binibigkas. Sabihin ng prompter na may umutot, sasabihin naman niya—mayyyy umutotttttttt.
Right guys, Sen. Ping Lacson would have been the best pick for the senate BRC. I’ve learned that it was only during Lacson’s term as the PNP Director that corruption an the PNP has been minimized (apparently not totally eradicated). A good example would be the end to the “kotong” collections of the PNP to metro Manila jeepney drivers. It is common knowledge that jeepney drivers give twenty pesos per trip to police collectors who look more like meth users or men posing as cigarette and/or sampaguita vendors. Drivers hand over a five peso coin to a kotong collector, then another five peso coin to another collector until the driver totals twenty pesos for the particular trip in downtown Manila. It’s quite impressing that these guys go through a three hour shifting process. Why so? Well, one can imagine how much cash one would have in hand within three hours of collecting “just” five pesos from every driver plying the Quaipo, Divisoria, Sta. Cruz route. The LTFRB says there is approximately seventeen thousand franchise driven jeepneys in metro Manila. There are much more jeepneys running around metro Manila than the figures given by the LTFRB. It is said that more than half of these jeepneys have an expired franchise or with no franchise at all. If we put the total number of jeepneeys running around metro Manila at a conservative thirty thousand, multiply that by twenty (pesos), and your mathematics would tell you that you’ld end up with a product of six hundred thousand pesos per trip!
These guys make an average of six to seven trips a day. Over four million pesos a day on jeepneys alone! The buses plying
EDSA are in it, too! Oh, let’s not forget the so called FX
“taxis”. They all have one thing in common. They’re all rude
in their driving. It’s like there are no existing traffic rules for them. They are blatant in their disregard of traffic rules. A real nuisance in the street. All because of corruption. Lim has been a Manila mayor before. “Kotong”
was present then and is still thriving now. The nerve to
identify himself with the opposition. So was Atienza. The police general then and now. Of course Bayani Fernando. These guys and many more shared in the bonanza.
continuation: (sorry, folks)
It was only in the term of Lacson as PNP chief that “kotong”
was non-existent. Thus, it’s not hard to figure out who among the senators is most qualified to have led the senate BRC.
Grizzy, I have nothing against lawyers. In fact, I have many lawyer-friends two of whom are my close relatives. But sometimes, I don’t blame people by describing lawyers as licensed thieves. Some even say lawyers are rats. Many lawyers are dishonest; some pad their bills, sleep with their clients, take bribes, etc. One lawyer once jokingly told me that everyone lawyer goes to the office everyday to commit fraud. Many lawyers after graduating and passing the bar after a few years become greedy and unprincipled. Why do you think many join politics and become politicians? Although they won’t admit it, average lawyers working in large firms have to put aside their values, principles and ethics by allowing good paying clients to dictate what they want. And why are lawyers arrogant? Partly because they are taught and trained to manipulate rules. They think they are bigger than the rules. Many lose respect for these lawyers but need them to represent in cases and courts.
Alan Cayetano is coming out with the Senate report on ZTE deal that angered Ping Lacson. Lacson argues that Alan cannot do this without the Committee meeting and deciding on it. He said Alan is the Chairman but not the Committee. Why is Alan rushing to terminate the ZTE deal? Damn you Alan!
There is really something wrong with the legal system in the Philippines, Bitchdevil, for people to have the general impression that all lawyers there are crooks and liars. There are good ones, I know, but they are in the minority. I can name a few as a matter of fact. Sabi nga ng isang kaibigan ko doon, ingit daw siya sa mga lawyers sa amin kasi di kailangang mangurakot para kumita.
I guess they just need to have a better association of lawyers there, one that will in fact uplift the morale and morality of more qualified lawyers, and eliminate the kabisote who are good at memorizing answers to leaked board exams in exchange for big pay-offs that they are able to pass them.
Time to eliminate the pulpol lawyers like the Fat Guy, who know only how to cheat and circumvent the law so that justice is not served well, especially in present-day Philippines with political appointees of the criminal now filling up positions in the courts there.
Over here, on the other hand, lawyers cannot be disbarred without due process. Over in the Philippines, lawyers are threatened with disbarment, I am told, if they criticize the crooks now running the Philippines like hell.
Look at what happened to Alan Paguia, for instance. Golly, the court there manned by friends and cronies of the Pidals would not even give the guy the chance to defend himself in court after he criticized Davide and his fellow crooks for trampling upon the Constitution in positioning the Boba in Malacanang. Basta na lang inalisan ng karapatang maging abogado for trying ironically to defend the Constitution of the Philippines. If that is not injustice, what is?
Sabi nga ni Alan Paguia, walang “rule of law.” Meron siyang column noon sa Trbune na pinangalanang “Rule of Law.” Bakit nawala? Dapat i-retian ng Tribune, etc. para naman may matutunan ang mga pilipino tungkol sa batas nila na binababoy n Gloria Dorobo na siya na ngayon ang mismong batas. Masaya siya!
..i-retain o ibalik….