Aquino allies, UNA support probe of Drilon

MANILA, Philippines - Administration senators and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) called yesterday for a Senate investigation of Senate President Franklin Drilon and his alleged involvement in the reported overpricing of the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) project.

Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Vicente Sotto III joined Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Aquilino Pimentel III in seeking an inquiry into the overpricing allegations lest the Senate be accused of going after those in the opposition bloc.

Trillanes said he sees no problem if the Senate conducts the probe in the same manner that the Senate approved the creation of the Blue Ribbon subcommittee looking into the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Building 2 and Vice President Jejomar Binay’s supposed involvement in it.

“Being a partymate of the Senate President, Sen. Teofisto Guingona can also form a subcommittee to conduct a hearing,” Trillanes said in a text message to The STAR.

Drilon and Guingona are stalwarts of the administration’s Liberal Party, while UNA is Binay’s political party.

Earlier, Sen. Francis Escudero, another administration senator, said the Blue Ribbon committee should conduct a similar probe of the ICC in the same zealous manner that it did with the Makati building. He also encouraged opposition Senators Nancy Binay and JV Ejercito to initiate the filing of the resolution.

Pimentel said the Senate can conduct the inquiry into the ICC as long as it goes through the proper legislative process. Once a resolution is filed, it is referred to the Senate committee, which can set the hearings.

Pimentel said the Blue Ribbon committee chairman cannot “arbitrarily” conduct the Senate inquiry without any resolution although the panel can conduct them motu propio (of its own accord).

Asked if Drilon can be requested to answer allegations before the Senate panel if and when an inquiry starts, Trillanes said the decision to appear before the Senate depends on the Senate President.

“It should depend on the flow of the investigation. But first things first, a senator must file a resolution as basis for that investigation,” he explained.

UNA interim president Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said they are interested whether or not Drilon’s allies act fast on the corruption allegation against him as what they did in investigating former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.

Revilla, Estrada and Enrile are currently detained while facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. 

“We are also interested whether Senator Drilon’s supporters will show the same rapid and aggressive stance in ferreting out the ‘the truth.’ Will they conduct marathon public hearings as well as call the businessmen and contractors involved; make an ocular inspection together with media; and invite Drilon’s immediate family, as well as garnish his bank accounts?” Tiangco said in a statement. 

“We are hoping that they will do these, in the spirit of fairness, as well as getting justice served,” he added.  

Drilon, along with Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, has been charged with plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman over the construction of the ICC.

“We urge Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales; Justice Secretary Leila de Lima; Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares; Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Aquilino Pimentel III; the Commission on Audit; and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to lift a finger to investigate these allegations against the Senate President,” Tiangco said.

‘Too early to resign’

Pimentel, however, said that it is too early to call for Drilon’s resignation.

“The question is why? It will be a bad precedent. It is not good that an officer of the Senate will be asked to step down just because a complaint is filed before the Ombudsman. So anybody can file complaints just like that,” Pimentel said in Filipino in an interview over dzBB yesterday.

“It’s not practical because when the Senate President steps down, we need to reorganize,” he added.

As far as Sotto is concerned, he will support the probe on the ICC as long as it remains in aid of legislation.

“If it is in aid of legislation, (I support it). If it’s like the subcommittee formed to investigate the Makati building, never mind,” said Sotto, who is substituting as Senate minority leader for Enrile.

He noted that the recent hearings of the Blue Ribbon committee on the pork barrel scam and the alleged overpricing of Makati City Building 2 attributed to Binay have shades of political persecution.