Roxas to Enrile: Public office ban must be for those facing plunder charges

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Mar Roxas on Wednesday took a jab at former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, saying those facing plunder charges should be the ones banned from holding public office. 

“Ahem. ‘Yung dapat barred from public service at makulong, ‘yung may kaso ng plunder,” Roxas said in a tweet. 

Ahem. Yung dapat barred from public service at makulong, yung may kaso ng plunder. https://t.co/ElFJ1YoS5i

— Mar Roxas (@MARoxas) September 18, 2019

Roxas’ remark was an apparent retaliation to Enrile’s statement that Roxas and Senator Leila De Lima “should be disqualified forever from holding public office” as he blamed them for the mess brought about by the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 10592, otherwise known as the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.

READ: Enrile wants De Lima, Roxas barred from seeking public office for GCTA mess

Section 7 of RA 10592 tasked the Secretary of Justice and the Secretary of Interior and Local Government to craft the law’s IRR after its enactment.

Roxas was Interior Secretary while De Lima was Justice Secretary when the law was signed by former President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2013. Enrile was Senate President at the time.

The 95-year-old Enrile is facing plunder charges in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam where he allegedly pocketed P172.8 million worth of kickbacks.

He is currently out of prison since he was allowed to post bail in 2015 due to “humanitarian reasons” with the Supreme Court citing his poor health and old age.

READ: WHAT WENT BEFORE: Napoles and the pork barrel scam

Both Roxas and Enrile attempted but failed to return to the Senate through the May midterm polls. /kga