Ople has no authority to subpoena FVR — Drilon

Senate President Franklin Drilon declared yesterday that Sen. Blas Ople, recognized by the opposition as the Senate President Pro Tempore, has no authority to subpoena former President Fidel Ramos to appear before a Senate hearing.

The opposition clothed Ople with the full powers of the Senate president during their last session last Thursday after charging Drilon with being an absentee leader and "abandonment" of his duties.

Ople said that the powers granted him "unanimously" by his 11 opposition colleagues included the power to issue subpoena.

When asked if he would issue a subpoena to Mr. Ramos, Ople replied: "I will be guided by the recommendation of the chairman of the committee on energy."

The opposition had adopted a resolution authorizing all Senate standing committees to conduct public hearings during the congressional break.

Drilon, however, contended that he continues to wield all the powers of the Senate president and that he is not yielding any of these powers to Ople.

"I, alone, have the authority to issue any subpoena!" he declared.

Sen. John Osmena, the opposition’s chairman of the energy committee, said that he moved over from the administration to the opposition because of his perception that the administration senators were shielding Mr. Ramos from the Senate inquiry into the government contracts with independent power producers (IPPs).

Sen. Renato Cayetano, the administration senator’s chairman of the energy committee, refuted this, saying he had already agreed to allow Osmena sole authority to investigate the IPP contracts.

"Senator Osmena was already authorized to call Mr. Ramos. Why didn’t he call him?" Cayetano asked.

He also pointed out that Mr. Ramos had already agreed to appear before the Senate to explain his role in the IPP contracts, that had resulted in the equally controversial purchased power adjustment that is burdening electric power consumers.

It was Osmena’s switching of allegiance that led to a 12-11 plurality in the Senate in favor of the opposition. Administration Sen. Ramon Revilla is in the United States still recuperating from two operations on his spinal column.

Cayetano and his fellow administration senators maintain that there was no valid reorganization of Senate standing committees, as they questioned the legality of the opposition’s holding a session last June 3.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. presided over that session after Drilon refused to call the session to order. After the opposition had left, Drilon and six other administration senators held their own session, where Drilon declared the adjournment sine die of the session for lack of quorum.

Meanwhile, Pimentel urged Mr. Ramos yesterday to heed the Senate invitation for him to testify on the PPA controversy.

Pimentel stressed that Mr. Ramos’ appearance before the Senate committee on energy will give him an opportunity to fully and forthrightly explain his role in the approval of several contracts with IPPs.

"Mr. Ramos is being asked to testify before the Senate not to embarrass him but to give him the opportunity to explain his side," Pimentel said.