Press Release
November 11, 2007

PALACE URGED TO COOPERATE WITH THE SENATE IN PROBING "CASH GIFT" IN THE INTEREST OF TRUTH

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today urged Malacañang to allow Cabinet members, Palace aides, as well as congressmen and governors allied or not with the administration, to testify at the Senate inquiry into the distribution of money at the Palace on October 11 if it wants the truth behind the incident to come out.

Pimentel assailed a Malacañang statement that the Palace will not cooperate with the legislative probe and instead impose a gag order on officials of the executive order who will be invited and summoned to the hearings.

"If it is true as Malacañang insists, that the money distributed during the Palace meeting, ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 to each congressman and governor, did not come from the government and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did not have anything to do with the alleged payoff, let them prove their claim by not preventing the appearance of administration personalities who will be invited to the Senate probe," he said.

The minority leader stressed that the Senate, in conducting the inquiry, is merely discharging its mandated function to check the actuations of the executive branch.

Should Malacañag block the inquiry by not granting permission to invite officials of the executive branch, Pimentel said this will instantly create the impression that the Palace is trying to camouflage the truth. Also, he said this will lend credence to suspicion that the President, knew or had a hand in the distribution of the largesse.

On the participation of the congressmen in the Senate probe to start on Wednesday, Pimentel said they can be asked to testify without violating the inter-chamber courtesy rule between the Senate and House of Representatives.

"There will be no breach of the inter-chamber courtesy if they will accept the Senate invitation or voluntarily appear at the hearing," he said.

He said there have been a number of instances in the past when congressmen honored the invitation of the Senate to testify in its investigation on matters where they are involved or have knowledge for the sake of truth and the public interest.

Pimentel said the inquiry intends to determine the purpose for which they money was distributed, where it came from and who received it.

If the money came form the public coffers, he said it is very important that the actual source of funds, the government agencies and the public officials who facilitated the disbursement involved should be pinpointed.

"But whether the money came from the government or private sources, the persons involved in their distribution will be in deep trouble. For if it is taxpayers' money, they may be liable for malversation. On the other hand, if it came form private corporations or individuals, it may constitute lobby or bribe money. Meaning, it is being given in consideration of certain government favors," Pimentel

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