Angara seeks vetting of witnesses in Senate probes

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Anybody appearing in Senate hearings must first do their homework, said Sen. Sonny Angara, who threw his support behind an earlier proposal that these resource persons be made to submit affidavits and supporting documents before testifying before the Blue Ribbon Committee.

Angara said he did not want to hear another testimony similar to that of former Iloilo provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada, who said in an earlier hearing that he did not yet have evidence to back up his contention that the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center was overpriced.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV also questioned on Sunday the necessity for the Blue Ribbon committee to continue the ICC probe given Mejorada’s testimony, and also backed the idea of resource persons being required to submit affidavits first.

The Blue Ribbon Committee held its first hearing last week on the alleged overprice of the ICC, whose main proponent has been Senate President Franklin Drilon.

“We do not want a repeat of Mr. Mejorada’s testimony where he could not present a single evidence to substantiate his allegation,” Angara said in a statement.

“Well established is a citizen’s freedom of speech but anybody who goes before the committee should have done their homework as much as possible and come with supported testimony,” he said.

This was why he was supporting the proposal of Sen. Sergio Osmeña III that the Blue Ribbon Committee should first vet the affidavit of resource persons before allowing them to speak at its investigation on the ICC, a pet project of Drilon.

Former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco, Drilon’s political foe, is scheduled speak at the second Blue Ribbon hearing on the ICC issue, after Blue Ribbon Committee chair, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III granted his request to give his testimony.

Osmeña earlier said he wanted the submission of an affidavit with documentary proof from resource persons, “to at least establish some basis that what they are saying is true.”

Angara said the submission of an affidavit and supporting documents would ensure that the resource persons appearing in Blue Ribbon proceedings would stand by their statements and that the committee’s time would be not be wasted.

“This is a strong assurance or guaranty that witnesses will not change stories midway, nor will they use the committee as a venue for personal attacks or vendettas that are unsupported by evidence that has real probative value,” he said.

Trillanes, speaking over dzBB, said on Sunday he agreed with Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III that the Blue Ribbon Committee should consider foregoing a second hearing on the ICC issue, following the first hearing where the main resource person admitted to not holding evidence yet.

Pimentel had said he did not want personalities to take advantage of the hearings to air their accusations under the protection of congressional immunity.

Trillanes said the first hearing on the ICC issue should determine if there was a need for a second hearing, if it would be worth the senators’ time to have a second hearing.

But with Mejorada’s admission that he did not have evidence, “why would we conduct a second hearing?” he asked.

He said Mejorada could be given time to gather evidence first and should submit this to the committee before hearings could resume.

He said he would talk to Guingona about this matter.

As for Syjuco’s impending testimony, Trillanes warned that that could turn into a “political circus.”

“If he wants, he could submit his affidavit or sworn statement to the Blue Ribbon Committee and we will look at this and assess this,” he said.

Trillanes also said the ICC hearing was different from the subcommittee hearings on the alleged overprice of the Makati City Hall II building.

He said that in the first hearing on Makati building, the resource person was able to provide documents and the testimony of an appraiser on the alleged value of the building. The Commission on Audit also agreed there were red flags in the construction of the building, he noted.

In the ICC probe, he said the government officials were also invited, but none of them had spoken of any supposed anomalies.

He also said he had asked Audit Commissioner Jose Fabia about the ICC, and its regular audit has not been completed.