Agile execs told: Show up or else

Senate President Franklin Drilon threatened to cite in contempt yesterday officials of the United States-funded Accelerating Growth Investment and Liberalization with Equity (Agile) if they fail to attend today’s investigation of the Senate committee of the whole.

The Senate probe intends to determine whether Agile is a lobby group or part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Senate summoned the Agile officers to a hearing on the matter last week, but Agile did not show up at the proceedings, prompting Drilon to threaten to cite them in contempt if they still fail to appear at today’s hearing.

Drilon earlier issued a subpoena to Agile chief of party Dr. Ramon Clarete; managing partner Dr. David Tardif-Douglin; project administrator Matthew Buzzby; Agile-Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) satellite office bank supervision advisor Francesca Baniqued; Agile-Department of Finance (DOF) satellite office macro policy task manager Rowena Arceo; lawyer Hugh Patton, Agile-Securities and Exchange Commission satellite office capital markets advisor; Agile-SEC capital markets task manager Noel Gamo; and Raquel Quero of Development Alternatives Inc. Phils.

"That is a remedy available," Drilon said yesterday, "but I would not want to jump to conclusions. We will see tomorrow. I have already said previously that the Agile better appear under the pain of contempt. The Senate has power under its rules and under the Constitution to enforce its processes."

Drilon also invited as resource persons Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo; Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho; National Economic and Development Authority director general Romulo Neri; Budget and Management Secretary Emilia Boncodin; former NEDA chiefs Felipe Medalla and Cielito Habito; former finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo; Finance Undersecretary and Agile steering committee chairman Juanita Amatong; Finance Assistant Secretary and alternate Agile steering committee chairman Roberto Tan; NEDA assistant director general and Agile steering committee member Margarita Songco; University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics assistant dean and present representative for academe to the Agile steering committee Dr. Emilio Antonio; PRISM Strategic Communications managing partner Jose Pablo Fenix; PRISM president Florentino Makabenta; Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Paras III; Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo and the Wallace Business Forum Inc. president Peter Wallace.