Pimentel slams local officials for dictating to Senate

Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. Monday told the League of Province it has no business telling the Senate how it should discharge its functions.

Pimentel also reminded local chief executives not to allow themselves to be manipulated by Malacañang in its current tug-of-war with the Senate which is looking into scandalous business deals that the Arroyo administration entered into with Chinese firms.

Pimentel assailed the published statement attributed to the League of Provinces asking the Senate to stop its investigation into the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corporation and the "Hello Garci" wiretapping scandal.

The statement, which came out after about 50 governors, together with some city and municipal mayors met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang Thursday, also called for the dismissal of the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Roel Pulido against the President.

"My advice to the League of Provinces and the governors is to perform their own mandated task and not to intrude into matters that do not fall under their domain," the minority leader said.

He added, "But on the part of the Senate, it is part of our obligation to look into the contracts that have been executed by our government, especially those that are funded by foreign loans."