Press Release
March 6, 2008

ON THE SENATE REFUSAL TO ACCEPT COMPROMISE:
To remove our power to arrest and detain uncooperative and evasive witnesses prevents the way for the truth to come out in our investigations; renders Senate inquiries inutile--Kiko

Senate Majority Leader and Independent senator Kiko Pangilinan today defended the Senate's decision to reject the compromise suggested by the SC on the issue of executive privilege.

"Neri was evasive, refused to tell the truth and invoked executive privilege then when we still had the powers to arrest and detain him, why then should he be cooperative now when we can no longer arrest and detain him because of d restraining order ? He will simply refuse to answer any and all questions without fear of detention," Kiko lamented.

"Our inability to exercise this coercive power of arrest will render us inutile in seeking the truth from the testimonies of witnesses. If our power to arrest and detain witnesses who refuse without valid cause to answer questions truthfully is clipped, it will be a means to help cover up the truth. Clipping our coercive powers will prevent the truth from being ferreted out. We cannot allow this to happen and hence my decision not to support the compromise proposal," Kiko added.

"It is Malacañang and those involved in the ZTE NBN deal that benefit from this inability of the Senate to ferret out the truth. We cannot allow the Senate to be unwitting tools in Malacañang's effort to hide d truth. Neri's appearance in the Senate knowing he cannot be compelled to tell all that he knows and knowing that he cannot be arrested will only embolden him to be even more evasive and uncooperative," Kiko said.

"We urge the SC to resolve the case with dispatch and allow us in the Senate as a co equal to exercise our powers that are supreme within our jurisdiction. The net effect of this compromise proposal is to render the Senate waylaid and marginalized in Malacañang's relentless efforts at preventing witnesses from coming out to shed light on the anomalous ZTE NBN deal. We cannot agree to the compromise proposal. We hope the Supreme Court understands our position as a co equal," Kiko ended

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