Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate Ethics Committee has finalized its rules Thursday paving the way for the hearing of its six pending cases, including the plagiarism complaints filed against Senators Vicente Sotto III and Pia Cayetano.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting where they concluded the amendments, 11 in all, regarding their procedures. The rules will be approved and be in effect once all members have signed.
Cayetano told reporters after the hearing that he would inhibit from the case of his sister when it is heard.
“If I don’t inhibit, or if I do nothing to prove the fairness of the committee, that will cause the people to lose faith in the Senate,” Cayetano said.
“Moreover, the net effect of this is that it may adversely affect the credibility of the committee in handling the other pending cases,” he added.
A plagiarism complaint was filed against Pia Wednesday for allegedly lifting parts of her privileged speeches on the Reproductive Health bill from online sources without attribution.
Before Pia, Sotto had also allegedly plagiarised from two US-based bloggers and from a speech of former US senator Robert Kennedy in his speeches regarding RH Bill.
Cayetano said that the cases before the Ethics Committee would be heard on a first-in, first-out basis. He said they could take up a number of cases in a session.
He assured that there will be fairness in the proceedings and the whole committee will decide as a collegial body instead of the chairman alone making a decision that will be submitted to the plenary.
He clarified that the committee will only be limited to determining probable cause. It will be the entire plenary that will vote on whether any of the respondents are guilty and what the punishment will be.