MANILA, Philippines – Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has no “moral ascendancy” to comment on the alleged massive cheating in 2004 after he “flip-flopped” and ran under the ticket of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 2007 elections, Senator Francis Pangilinan said on Monday.
“The public should be reminded that he has no moral ascendancy to comment on the issue of fraud for the simple reason that he flip-flopped on the issue and embraced the cheater in the end. Yes, by all means let’s call a spade a spade. He who lives in a glass house should not throw stones,” Pangilinan said in a statement on Monday.
Pangilinan was reacting to Sotto’s remark to him: “I told you so” when he commented on the cheating allegations during the 2004 elections. Pangilinan was a member of the national board of canvassers in 2004.
“When the evidence of cheating and irregularities in 2004 became more convincing with the Hello Garci exposé, instead of condemning GMA [Arroyo’s initials] and calling for her resignation, he [Sotto] did the exact opposite, suddenly developing amnesia by joining her administration’s ticket in 2007 and embracing the administration he had earlier accused of massive cheating,” Pangilinan said.
Instead of criticizing him, Pangilinan said Sotto should answer why he joined the Arroyo ticket, when he accused the former leader of cheating during the 2004 elections.
“Dapat sagutin niya ang tanong: ‘Ano ang nangyari sa kanyang paninindigan sa laban sa pandaraya ni GMA dahil bumaligtad siya at sumirko papunta kay GMA noong 2007 niyang akusahan ito ng pandaraya noong 2004 [He should answer this question: What happened to his stand against Arroyo’s cheating when he flip-flopped and joined GMA, even after he accused her of cheating in 2004]?” he asked.
“I, on the other hand, out of principle, refused to accept both the administration and opposition offers to be part of their tickets, and instead ran as an independent in 2007 and won,” Pangilinan said.
“Kung sa kanyang palagay at ‘di katanggap-tanggap ang mga kilos natin noon, eh mas lalo namang ‘di kapani-paniwala ang pagbabaligtad niya noong 2007. Wala siyang karapatang pumuna. Ayon nga sa kasabihan, tingnan muna niya ang uling at putik sa mukha niya [If he thinks my actions back then were unacceptable, then his joining (Arroyo) back in 2007 is even more unbelievable. He does not have a right to comment],” the senator added.
But Sotto, when asked for reaction during a press conference, dismissed Pangilinan’s remark.
“Baryang issue lang yan. Don’t change the topic,” said Sotto, pointing out that the topic was the 2004 cheating, and not the 2007 elections.