Cayetano urges political parties to sign pledge vs. corrupt members

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter "Companero" S. Cayetano is urging all political parties to assure the Filipino people that they will prioritize justice over patronage politics by publicly pledging to expel members involved in corruption scandals.

Cayetano said his call is similar to what election watchdogs demand from candidates during elections, which is to refrain from engaging in fraud and violence. In this case, he is asking political parties to sign an anti-corruption covenant against corrupt partymates.

"Bakit hindi tayo pwedeng magkaroon ng pirmahan na kahit kapartido, hahabulin niyo kapag may anomalya. Kapag hindi katanggap-tanggap ang sagot nila, aalisin natin sa partido," the senator said.

Cayetano said in the US, those involved in scandals either resign or are removed from the political party even before any declaration of guilt from the courts.

"Pero sa atin, huling-huli na, pagtatakpan pa ng kasama. Kaya ang justice system natin, pag guilty ka, pagtatakpan ka. Kaya sa atin, ang last layer ng protection ay eleksyon. Pag nanalo kakampi mo, abswelto ka. Yun ang gusto kong alisin," he explained.

Cayetano again challenged Vice President Jejomar Binay to issue a strong statement against his allies implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel scam or at least ask them to explain their innocence to the Filipino people.

"Kung private citizen ka, pwede mo sabihin na sa korte na lang magpapaliwanag. Pero kung ikaw ay public official, kailangan mong harapin ang sambayanan. Utang mo sa tao na sumagot ka sa tao. Kapag hindi ka sumagot, dapat kang parusahan ng partido mo," Cayetano said.

Binay's previous statements on the pork barrel probe of the Department of Justice (DOJ) have raised fears among state witnesses that if he wins in the 2016 elections, the case will not be pursued.