Hearing on Cayetano ethics case postponed

A motion from the House opposition leader postponed yesterday’s hearing on the complaint filed by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo against House Deputy Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who accused him of maintaining a secret German bank account.

Ethics committee chairman Roberto Cajes granted the request of House Minority Leader Francis Escudero, who sought to reset the hearing as he was still attending to the needs of his constituents in the first district of typhoon-ravaged Sorsogon.

As approved by other panel members, the next hearing will be on Nov. 7, or a day after Congress resumes from its two-week break, which starts on Oct. 13, when legislative sessions end.

Rep. Jose Solis, who belongs to the administration coalition and who represents the second district of Sorsogon, opposed his provincemate’s motion.

"My people are already distributing relief goods in Sorsogon," Solis pointed out, apparently implying that Escudero’s presence is unimportant.

Another ally of President Arroyo, Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, wanted the hearing to be held next week, but he was outvoted by his colleagues during the hearing, which took no less than an hour that delved mostly on postponements and not yet on substance.

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, a member of the opposition bloc, told the Cajes panel that it was wise for them to postpone, as many "substantive issues" still need to be resolved, including the "required substantive presence of the minority leader." — Delon Porcalla