In The Know: Rumors linking Enrile to Gigi Reyes started in 1998
Early in 1998, rumors flew that Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile was having a romantic relationship with his chief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, about 30 years his junior.
Early in 1998, rumors flew that Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile was having a romantic relationship with his chief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, about 30 years his junior.
There were no winners; just losers. Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson came up with this assessment amid the controversy over the conversion of millions of pesos in excess Senate funds into cash “gifts” and “bonuses” just before Christmas for two groups of senators—those favored by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and those who were not.
Dubbed by the gossips in the Senate as the “24th senator,” Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Gonzales-Reyes signs checks in the millions on behalf of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and issues memos to Senate functionaries involving the funds of the chamber.
The Commission on Audit (COA) on Wednesday said that the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) allocation was not a discretionary fund and could not be used for purposes not specified under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The squabble over the purported “Christmas bonus” turned ugly Wednesday—the third of the Senate’s remaining nine days of sessions—after Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano brought up in a privilege speech Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s personal grudge against him and the unusual clout Enrile’s chief of staff wields in the chamber.
Despite hypertension and bone marrow problems, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Tuesday indicated her intention to conduct an inquiry into Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s release of funds for “maintenance and other operating expenditures” (MOOE) just before Christmas.
As their bitter and very public feud entered the 10th day, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago made separate decisions to lie low and rest.
Apparently anticipating an adverse opinion from the Commission on Audit (COA), Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is getting ready to ask the Supreme Court to rule whether heads of offices can use savings “at their absolute discretion.”
The word war has worsened.
It was the “uneven” distribution of the cash that is at the heart of the brouhaha over Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s grant of “Christmas gifts”—later explained as additional funds for office expenses—from the Senate’s savings, according to Sen. Edgardo Angara.
ON its last day of session for this year, the Cebu City Council brought some Christmas cheer by approving the P10,000 extra cash gift for City Hall’s 4,610 regular and casual employees yesterday. The council approved on first and final reading of Supplemental Budget P46.5 million as requested by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. “The [...]
AS a parting shot, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said each barangay councilor will receive a P20,000 cash gift before Christmas during last Saturday’s general assembly of the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines. Holding him to his word, the city’s barangay councilors visited Rama’s office to claim their cash gift only to be disappointed. [...]
