Colleagues abandon Cayetano in expulsion case

Pateros-Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano was left all alone to defend himself on the expulsion case filed against him by President Arroyo’s relatives before the ethics committee of the House of Representatives.

Observers noted that only Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez and Teddy Casiño of party-list Bayan Muna attended the hearings while Akbayan Rep. Loretta Ann Rosales and another militant lawmaker, Rep. Renato Magtubo, came late.

Sources said many of Cayetano’s colleagues in the opposition including Minority Leader Francis Escudero were absent at the hearings. Also absent was Cayetano’s lawyer Joel Montales.

Escudero and Cayetano are both running for senator in the May 2007 polls.

Cayetano defended himself by cross-examining Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo last Tuesday, but veered away from his accusations that the Arroyos, led by the patriarch First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, are keeping a multimillion dollar account at a German bank.

Cayetano focused his cross-examination on the Jose Pidal account, an issue originally raised against the Arroyos by opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson but not by the congressman.

"We are very frustrated (with the way he conducted the cross). Everything he said was dilatory and irrelevant," the First Gentleman later told reporters after the hearing.

Arroyo’s lawyer, Ruy Rondain, said Cayetano merely wasted time since he propounded questions on an issue not related to the case.

"We have been sitting here for three to four hours, but nothing came out. We’re very frustrated. We’re willing to litigate this, but from what transpired, we don’t really know," he lamented.

The First Gentleman stressed they are not delaying the proceedings in their complaint against Cayetano but from the congressman himself engaging in dilatory tactics.

"Magpaka-lalaki naman siya (He should be man enough to face the facts). The delay did not come from us."

Another Arroyo complainant, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo said it would be better if Cayetano should focus on his defense by substantiating his allegations. "He should come out with proof," he said.

Cayetano, for his part, said the Jose Pidal account has a bearing on his accusations against the Arroyos, claiming it showed a "pattern."

He said the Senate has even proved the existence of the bank account.

Rondain immediately stood up and clarified the Pidal account is not the issue at hand.

"It (Pidal account) does not exist in this committee... It’s political and non-legal (issue)," he said.

A member of the committee, Alagad Rep. Rodante Marcoleta said the proceedings were turning into a circus since Cayetano is throwing several questions not related to the complaint.

"This is not the way to conduct cross-examination. I think we have gone too far. We cannot go beyond the affidavit-complaint. Manifestations are not evidence," Marcoleta said.

Mikey, who has been the subject of cross-examination by Cayetano, said the opposition lawmaker failed to prove his accusations.

"I don’t know how relevant his questions are to what he said that we stashed millions of dollars in a German account," he said.

The Arroyos had accused Cayetano, who is in his third and last term as congressman, of "fabricating evidence, making false testimonies and for malicious and defamatory accusations against our family."

The Arroyos even branded the opposition lawmaker as "arrogant" for refusing to admit that his multimillion dollar German bank account exposé was just a bum steer.

"He (Cayetano) is not worthy to be a member of this House. He is not a gentleman by any measure. He must not be allowed to bring the House down with him," the Arroyos said in their complaint, where they sought sanctions against Cayetano for "improper conduct."

Cayetano had thumbed down suggestions for him to apologize. A defiant Cayetano even challenged the First Family that he will resign and allow himself to be jailed once his accusations turn out to be a hoax.