MANILA, Philippines — Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada engaged in a heated debate on the Senate floor over the “pork barrel” issue after Estrada took a swipe at some of his colleagues who he said have been using the issue to advance their political agenda.
Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Sen. Alan Cayetano INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
“It is unfortunate that some senators have been using the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the PDAF to advance their own political agenda,” Estrada said in his privilege speech on Wednesday.
PDAF is Priority Development Assistance Fund also known as “pork barrel” funds.
“They even participate in the trial by publicity by making irresponsible statement and unfounded conclusions,” he said.
A senator, Estrada said, had even proposed the creation of a special court or division to try the PDAF cases for speedy resolution of the cases.
Estrada did not identify the senator but it was Cayetano, who issued a press statement, calling for the creation of said special court on all “pork” cases.
Cayetano immediately took the floor to interpellate Estrada but the latter requested for a five-minute suspension before he would entertain any question.
When the session resumed, the two senators even exchanged jokes before turning serious.
“This is not about Senator Jinggoy, this is not about Alan Cayetano. This is not about 2016,” Cayetano started.
The issue, he said, was the image of the institution.
Addressing Estrada’s remark that some senators have been using the issue for their own interest, Cayetano asked in a mix of Filipino and English: “Did we ever treat you differently from how you treated the witnesses in the committees when you were the one asking them?”
Cayetano then cited the cases of the late Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and some military officials, who had testified before in the Senate over the alleged irregularities in the military.
But Estrada denied disrespecting Reyes and other generals.
He insisted that some of his colleagues have been “grandstanding” at his expense and other senators being implicated into the scam.
“I have been very good…Since 2004, I wanted to make sure when I became a senator, I wanted to maaintain a good relationship to all my peers in the Senate even those of my colleagues who betrayed my father,” Estrada lamented, referring to former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
In a statement after their exchange, Cayetano said he would not stand down on his sworn duty “to represent the interest of the Filipino people, to serve as their voice and conscience, and to uphold their rights in all issues that concern them.”
“As I have done before in the past, I will fight graft and corruption in government wherever it is found, no matter who is involved, even those I consider as friend,” he said.
“Having a very strong stand against corruption has always been the highlight of my long career in government service. What I was when I first became a municipal councilor in 1992 has never changed even when I became a member of the House of Representatives and now as a member of Senate.”
Cayetano noted how he fought against the corruption in the Arroyo administration, even if the first couple at the time were his wedding sponsors.
“Now in the Senate, my stand remains the same even if my colleagues or dear friends are involved,” he said.
“I am not ashamed because I’m doing the right thing. Those who are doing wrong are the ones who should be ashamed,” Cayetano said in Filipino.
“The Senate has been damaged by this controversy. It is time that we prove to the Filipino people that we are capable of rising from this cloud of doubt,” Cayetano added.
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