House probes Gang of 5

The House of Representatives is looking into the alleged extortion activities of a group of congressmen known as the "Gang of 5."

"We are conducting an informal, quiet inquiry so we can take the proper action," Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II told ABS-CBN News Channel’s Gene Orejana in an interview yesterday.

He said the investigation is informal because there is yet no formal complaint from anyone, whether a private citizen or a House member, against the so-called Gang of 5.

"We have taken it upon ourselves to inquire quietly about these reports because we are concerned. These reports are affecting us all, individually and collectively. I personally have been hearing about these names since the last Congress," he said.

He added that he has some suggestions on how to curb the activities of the group which he would discuss with Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. when the latter returns from Bangkok, Thailand on Monday.

The Gang of 5 is reportedly composed of one Mindanao congressman and four colleagues from the Visayas. Three of the five are lawyers. One of the two non-lawyers is supposed to be the "ring leader." Three of the gang members chair important committees.

Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. (Lakas, Surigao del Sur) urged the House ethics committee to look into the alleged existence of the Gang of 5.

Pichay, who has been linked to the group by one tabloid newspaper, said in a statement the ethics committee "should determine whether or not such a group does exist, and if there are indeed complainants who are willing to come forward and testify against it."

"So far, what we have are just unsubstantiated charges and innuendoes. If there are wayward solons, let us identify them and file the appropriate charges in the proper forum," he said.

Pichay urged his colleagues who have expressed concern about the alleged extortion activities of the group to convince those who have complained to them to come out and file formal complaints.

"Otherwise, the House as an institution could suffer from more rumors and speculation," he said.

Gonzales, who is chairman of the rules committee, revealed the quiet inquiry even as the clamor for an investigation snowballed in the House.

Opposition congressmen led by Minority Leader Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya) said the House leadership should name the five if there is evidence against them.

He said those who have been victimized by the group should come out and file formal complaints.

However, another opposition lawmaker, Agapito Aquino (LDP, Makati), said no investigation could prosper without a formal complaint.

Gonzales said the rules committee is tightening the rules on inquiries to prevent any House member from abusing the congressional power of investigation to shake down any businessman, private company or public official.

He said unlike in the 11th Congress when resolutions seeking inquiries are directly sent to committees in plenary session, these measures now pass through the rules committee before being referred to the proper committees.

However, he said the rules panel does not possess the power to kill or archive "suspicious" resolutions.

The Gonzales committee also discourages joint jurisdiction by two or more committees over the same subject matter, and the scheduling of hearings by any committee before its actual receipt of a resolution seeking an investigation.

Some panels, however, are violating the prohibition. The transportation committee, for instance, scheduled a hearing on the controversial Terminal 3 project at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport even before actually receiving a resolution calling for an inquiry into the policy dimensions of the project.

The committee is headed by Rep. Jacinto Paras (Lakas, Negros Oriental). The resolution sent to it was authored by Rep. Eduardo Veloso (NPC-Lakas, Leyte).

Actually, Veloso authored two resolutions on the NAIA terminal project. The first alleges some irregularities in the implementation of the project, prompting the rules committee to refer it to the good government committee, although Veloso wanted it sent to the Paras panel.

He then introduced the second resolution which he told the rules committee focuses on the policy aspect of the project and should be referred to the transportation committee.

Another committee scheduled a hearing last Thursday, even in the absence of a resolution, on the feud between the National Power Corp. and the Government Service Insurance System over Napocor’s $10 billion insurance coverage.

Apparently realizing their mistake, committee officials cancelled their inquiry only hours before it was to begin.