Enrile dares foes to take him to court

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines –  Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile  on Thursday dared anyone to take  him to court  if  he  has violated  any law  when he  gave  18  senators an additional   P2.2  million  fund  each  last year.

Enrile, in a radio interview, insisted that he did not violate any law when he gave the fund, representing the additional maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the 18 senators.

“Alam ko yun at hindi na kailangang ituturo ng isang taong halos medyo bumagsak sa bar examination, alam ko yun e. Wala akong nilabag na batas,”  he said.

(I know that and I don’t need to be lectured by a person who almost flunked the bar examination. I did not violate any law.)

“Kung inaakala ng kung sino man na ako’y lumabag sa batas, kasuhan nila ako. I will be very happy para maipakita ko naman ang kagaguhan ko at kagalingan ko sa husgado,” he said.

(If that person thinks that I’ve violated the law, then file a case against me. I will be very happy because I would be able to demonstrate my expertise in court.)

Aside from Enrile, only four of 23 senators did not get the  last two tranches  of  the  funds amounting to P1.6 million  and they are Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano,  Senators Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

But all 23 senators, Enrile said, got the first tranche of the fund , which is P600,000, given to them in November  2012.

In fact, Enrile said, Santiago  received all the  additional MOOE he  gave to her from 2008 to 2011.

“Ngayon binago ko ang sistema, hindi ko na binigyan ang minority. Binigyan ko sila sa first tranche…Umalma sila noong hindi nila natanggap yung mga sumunod na mga tranches,” the Senate leader added.

(Now I changed the system, I did not include the minority. I gave them the first tranche…They complained when they did not receive the next tranches.)

Enrile also disclosed that when   he gave  all 23 senators  a P250,000 Christmas bonus from  the savings of his own  office,  Santiago allegedly deposited  the money in her private bank account.

Enrile said he  knew about it because when Santiago  returned  the P250,000 to his office, her aide supposedly  mentioned in a letter that the money was “inadvertently deposited in her account.”