EDITORIAL – Time to come clean

As almost everyone expected, Hernando Perez finally left the Cabinet. His departure the other day took the form of a resignation – the fifth he had tendered, he said – which President Arroyo accepted. Only hours before the resignation was announced, the President had said she would not fire Perez as demanded by certain groups. All signs indicated that the President had agonized over what to do with Perez, who was her political mentor and one of the prosecutors during the impeachment trial of her predecessor Joseph Estrada. If Perez’s resignation was truly voluntary, Malacañang must have greeted it with a deep sigh of relief.

Perez said he was quitting because he did not want the accusations hurled against him to endanger the gains of the administration. Even in private life, however, the controversy that drove him out of public office will continue to hound him — and the Arroyo administration. The nation will be watching his defense against accusations that he accepted a $2-million bribe from Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez.

In resigning, Perez had enumerated his achievements at the helm of the Department of Justice. The achievements are impressive, but they will come to naught if he fails to come clean on the serious allegations against him. A former president is now languishing in hospital detention, held without bail for the same criminal offense that has been filed against Perez. Jimenez has offered strong leads on a money trail that investigators can pursue.

Perez has vowed to prove his innocence and has filed counter-charges against his accusers. Before these ca-ses get bogged down in the usual legal maneuvers, Perez should keep in mind that he lost the initial battle in the court of public opinion when Jimenez talked about the bank account in Hong Kong where the $2 million was supposed to have been deposited. The best way to win back public confidence is by having those bank accounts opened and proving that there was no money laundering or bribery involved. Anything short of that will simply prolong the agony of Perez – if he is truly innocent.