MANILA, Philippines -- With President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo looking over their shoulders, 13 rice traders and retailers accused of diverting NFA rice for commercial sale on Thursday defended themselves from the criminal charges they are facing in the Department of Justice.

The traders, with their lawyers, submitted their counter-affidavits denying the charges against them, as the President looked on.

With the submissions, the DoJ wrapped up its preliminary investigation of the cases against the 13 and is set to resolve them before the weekend.

The President arrived at the DoJ office in Manila at 10 a.m. and proceeded to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez’s ground floor office. Soon they went up to the second floor conference room where the preliminary investigation was to be held.

Just a bystander

Gonzalez said the President was only a “bystander” in the proceedings and would not influence the outcome of the case.

“The President is here to check on what we have been doing and to see that everything is being done in accordance with her instructions. Without sacrificing due process, the cases are moving as they should,” he told reporters.

He said in a later interview that Ms Arroyo wanted to familiarize herself with the processes at the DoJ and was not calling for any legal shortcuts.

“She has no instructions to bypass the rule of law. I think the President wanted to educate herself that these are the processes that must be observed. Because heretofore, in her impatience, sometimes she has the tendency to ask us why it cannot be shortened. Now she knows,” he said.

He said it did not appear the rice traders were intimidated by Ms Arroyo’s presence.

Some of the accused who were interviewed said they were not displeased nor did they feel intimidated by the presence of the President at the investigation.

Lawyer Protacio Cortez Jr., representing RMJR Grains, said he did not think Ms Arroyo’s presence was unfair to the traders.

“She will know what’s going on,” he said.

He also said his clients were not involved in the diversion of NFA rice or any illegal activities.

No pressure

Another lawyer, Danilo Cunanan, said his six clients were rice retailers who owned one-by-one-meter markets stalls and could not be involved in rice hoarding.

He also said he was not disturbed by the President’s presence at the proceedings.

“I don’t think she was influencing the procedure. She was here just to see to it the investigation is fair. We were not pressured,” he said.

Gonzalez said the DoJ would allow no more extensions to file further pleadings in the cases against the 13 rice traders and retailers.

“The process is complete insofar as the people who were supposed to submit their counter-affidavits today. The next step would be for the panel to resolve the cases based on the complaints as well as the counter-affidavits. We will not allow any more delays,” he said.

He said the resolutions were expected by the end of the week. If charges are recommended, they would be filed in court next week, he said.

The NBI-NFA Anti-Rice Hoarding Task Force, in a report, said 33 persons had been charged with the illegal distribution and sale of rice.