Press Release
September 17, 2012

Transcript of Manifestation on Sen. Osmena's privilege speech
on "The Mother of all Scams"

Lack of institutional mechanism to fight scams and rid departments of scam experts occupying key positions are reasons for continuing prevalence of scams in gov't, says Cayetano

The people who were involved in scams are still there.

Mr. Chairman, I'd just like to manifest that this is the point that I've been making with the Garci boys in Comelec, the people behind the NBN ZTE scam or the people behind the Fertilizer Scam who are still in their respective departments.

These people specialize not in certain sectors or departments but rather in scams. Sometimes they go from one department to the other repackaging certain scams.

When the Supreme Court struck down the Truth Commission, we were left with no group to conduct fact-finding and to really do some searching and digging and look at these people.

So what's hard now is that people have to go to the Ombudsman and prove the case rather than the government consciously and more proactively doing so like what the good gentleman from Cebu (Sen. Osmena) did. He personally researched, got the files, looked into it and asked help from experts. So now, he's ready to confront those who perpetrated the scam in a very organized manner.

I fear this is not being done in a wide-scale manner to resolve other scams. I know that the gentleman monitored various scams even if he wasn't in government since I have worked with him before. I think Vice President Binay at that time helped too along with Senator Guingona, Senator Lacson and other senators and congressmen in the house. Moreover, along with then-congressman Chiz Escudero, we were looking at these scams and wondering what will happen in the future.

I am happy you brought this up and I'm happy that we are looking into this. But I still hope that we come up with an organized institutional mechanism to be put in place so we can go after these people and send a clear message that crime does not pay and that they cannot get away with this.

Mr. Chairman, I congratulate you for bringing this up in a very well-researched and well-presented manner.

I'd just like to put on record why we, as the Senate, have to keep on conducting investigations. If there is an institutional mechanism out there that will do the investigating satisfactorily then there is no need for us to do this other than in aid of legislation.

But to tell our people that scams will be repeatedly perpetrated and money will be squeezed out from locals as well as our OFWs pockets, I agree with your move to stand up here and bring this to light.

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