Santiago questions colleagues over plan to scrap Enrile, Santiago speeches

Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Miriam Defensor-Santiago INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago questioned on Friday a plan by her colleagues to strike off from the chamber’s record her and Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile’s speeches that prompted an exchange of insults and personal attacks.

“If, after the Enrile personal attack against me, certain senators had moved to strike off the record, I would not have delivered my own response.  Why are they proposing the motion only now?” Santiago asked in a statement.

“Do they mean that Enrile is allowed to insult me on a personal level, but I am prohibited from paying him back in his own coin?  If any of these senators were insulted personally, would each one have consented to remain silent?” she further.

Santiago was reacting to Senator Sergio Osmena III’s plan next week to move to strike off from the record her and Enrile’s privilege speeches, citing the rules against the use of “unparliamentary languange” inside the halls of Congress.

Some senators though said only parts or “unparliamentary words” should be stricken off the record.

But Santiago explainbed that In the judiciary, when opposing counsel moves to strike off the record, and the judge grants the motion, the testimony will remain on the record.

“This procedure is followed, so that in case of appeal, the appellate court will be able to see from the record what the testimony was,” she said”

“Thus, striking off the records is nominal, because the testimony will stay,” Santiago added.

In any event, the lady senator reiterated her challenge to Enrile to a public televised debate in the University of the Philippines . on any topic connected with the present “pork barrel” scandal.

Santigao said there should be a UP professor as moderator and the specific topic should be drawn up by a panel of U.P. professors.

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