Press Release
October 20, 2007

KIKO CHALLENGES PGMA TO CERTIFY
INDEPENDENT COUNSEL BILL URGENT

"Only an independent counsel can clear your name."

"If the President is truly sincere in getting to the bottom of the Malacañang bribery scandal and all other controversies where her name is being dragged, then she must certify the Independent Counsel Act of 2007 urgent, so as to create a body that will investigate such issues with credibility and objectivity." Senate Majority Leader Kiko Pangilinan, principal author of Senate Bill No. 140 or the Independent Counsel Act of 2007 today posed this challenge to President Arroyo.

Ever since the NBN ZTE controversy broke out, the President has been pelted with a barrage of corruption and bribery-related scandals, the latest of which was the alleged distribution of what has been euphemistically called "cash gift," "Christmas bonus" or "financial assistance" amounting from P200,000 to P5,000,000 to Congressmen and local government officials after a breakfast meeting in Malacanang.

Kiko said the President "cannot handle this latest incident the same way she has the previous ones," especially because "the stink is already too much to ignore."

"The 200M ZTE NBN bribe, the 2M Ka Bel (Rep. Crispin Beltran) bribe and the 500k of Among Ed and Gov. Jonjon all point to her and to Malacanang's involvement. We cannot expect to do the same things over and over and expect different results. It cannot be business as usual and politics as usual. We need to seek new and fresh initiatives to solve the political crisis," he said. And the Independent Council Bill may just be the right solution.

The Independent Counsel Bill provides for the appointment of an independent counsel to conduct investigations on impeachable officials, the Executive Family and members of Congress. Under the measure, the Office of the Ombudsman may apply for the appointment of an independent counsel to the Supreme Court once it finds reasonable ground to further investigate a charge against a public official. This body will be separate and independent from the Department of Justice.

The application shall contain at least three nominees for the independent counsel. Upon the appointment of the counsel, the Supreme Court shall define the investigative jurisdiction and grant sufficient powers to the body to carry out the probe. The independent counsel will have the power to conduct fact-finding investigations, conduct and participate in any proceeding before the court and other investigative bodies and receive, review and evaluate evidence. To guarantee expediency in an investigation, the body will be required to complete it within 60 days.

"The common sentiment of the Filipino people regarding the cases against impeachable officials is that there are always sacred cows and whitewashes that prevent the truth from coming out. Madalas sa hindi, nababahiran ng pulitika ang mga imbestigasyon, naitatago ang katotohanan," Kiko said.

"If the President truly wants to clear her name once and for all, as well as assure the public that her administration is not tolerating illegal acts right inside her backyard, then she needs to have a credible and impartial investigative body that will address these issues. She needs to expedite the passage of the Independent Counsel Bill, so we can all start the quest for truth."

Once again, Kiko stressed: "If the President has nothing to hide, she has nothing to fear."

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