ROXAS: SENATE NEEDS POSITION IN
RELATION TO EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE

Senator Mar Roxas raised on the floor this afternoon the need for the Senate to have an "institutional position" in relation to the invocation of executive privilege by Cabinet members who refuse to provide information in aid of legislation.

"By having a unified response to claims of executive privilege, the Senate could act more responsively to all attempts to circumvent the public's right to know, not only in the case of NBN but also in forthcoming incidents," Roxas said.

The co-chair of the joint committee investigating the National Broadband Network controversy asked his colleagues at the Senate, particularly co-chair Alan Peter Cayetano, to discuss the matter in a caucus, which was agreed to.

"I ask that any subsequent hearing on NBN be scheduled after the caucus, so at that time, we already have an institutional position to this invocation," Roxas said.

On the NBN deal, the executive has invoked confidentiality and executive privilege on three matters in particular:

- the submission of Department of Transportation and Communications documents on NBN;

- the National Economic Development Authority's (NEDA) submission of its evaluation of the NBN; and

- former NEDA Director-General Romulo Neri's refusal to give details on his conversation with the President after he told her of a bribe offer he received in connection with the broadband project.

"It can not be stressed enough that matters of public interest must be subject to public scrutiny. The details of the NBN deal must be open to all, in the interest of transparency," Roxas said.

Roxas, along with Senator Benigno Aquino III, filed last October 26 a petition with the Supreme Court asking to nullify the NEDA's claim of executive privilege, to compel the agency to submit the subpoenaed documents to the Senate.