GMA to Senate: End grandstanding

Embroiled in a political confrontation with the Senate, President Arroyo made a direct appeal to opponents to halt their campaign against her and instead work to help the poor.

"To certain senators, stop your mindless preoccupation with all things political and do something: Pass our national budget, create jobs... bring health insurance to the poor, construct more roads," Mrs. Arroyo said in a speech at the oath-taking ceremonies of newly elected officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at Malacañang.

"Stop your wrangling and get to work. Time is wasting as the people suffer," she said, referring to senators who are allegedly using the Senate hearings to resurrect allegations she cheated in the May 2004 elections and other alleged misdeeds.

"We cannot abandon our commitment to solve the problems of our people (even) as we go about... salvaging institutions of this severely degenerated system," the President said.

The Senate launched yesterday a fresh probe into alleged anomalous releases of fertilizer funds by the administration.

Mrs. Arroyo has issued an executive order barring members of her Cabinet and other top executive officials as well as military officials from taking part in the public hearings, triggering a constitutional standoff that has led to a suit filed before the Supreme Court.

In recent weeks, opposition senators have called for separate investigations into alleged election cheating, contracts with US law firms, a railway project financed by China and the fertilizer deal, all aimed at Mrs. Arroyo.

Last week, the President charged that the Senate hearings had merely become a "kangaroo court" that was part of a conspiracy to destabilize her administration.

She charged the investigations were part of a continued effort to undermine her government following the dismissal of three impeachment complaints against her in Congress on Sept. 6 and the failure of opposition attempts to organize street protests huge enough to oust her.

Mrs. Arroyo reacted by issuing Executive Order 464 prohibiting executive officials from appearing before congressional hearings without her consent.

Malacañang and Congress leaders are reportedly hammering out an agreement that would govern the conduct of congressional inquiries in the future.

No senators were present during the meeting held at an undisclosed location.

Officials said it would be easier for the Palace to come to terms with the House of Representatives rather than the Senate.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed the ground rules would help resolve strained relations between the Executive department and the Senate to make future congressional inquiries more productive.

"All we are saying is we want to put things in their proper perspective… we want procedures to be smooth to lessen misunderstanding and improve our relationship," Ermita said.

Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio said the meeting is aimed at hammering out differences over EO 464 which is currently being questioned before the Supreme Court.

Claudio said the meeting was conducted even as four Cabinet officials failed to show up at the Senate inquiry yesterday into the alleged diversion of fertilizer funds.

Among those who did not attend the hearing were Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban, Budget Secretary Romulo Neri, Land Reform officer-in-charge Nasser Pangandaman and Trade Secretary Peter Favila.

Even former Cabinet officials led by resigned budget secretary Emilia Boncodin and former agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. were absent.

With the no-show by key officials, the senators were left to watch the report of the television program "Probe" hosted by broadcast journalist Che Che Lazaro.

A significant amount of time was also spent on debating whether Lazaro should be sworn in, though she was merely the host of the news report.

If it were not for the presence of three representatives from the Commission on Audit (COA), the hearing would not have scratched the surface of the issue. — With Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude, Marvin Sy, AFP