GMA has enough powers to deal with terrorist threats — JDV

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and other House leaders opposed yesterday the proposal to give President Arroyo emergency powers to enable her to deal with terrorist threats in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

"The President has adequate powers to deal with the unfolding situation. The time has not yet come to give her special powers to confront these threats," De Venecia said.

At the same time, he called for greater vigilance on the part of the citizenry in combating terrorism.

Despite opposition from his colleagues, Deputy Speaker for Visayas Raul Gonzalez filed a resolution yesterday urging Congress to give the President emergency powers "to prevent lawless violence now stalking the land."

He said such powers would also enable Mrs. Arroyo to "prepare the country for the eventuality of war in the Middle East which will seriously affect oil supply and the safety and welfare of Filipino overseas workers."

"The threat of war in the Middle East and the lawless violence being perpetrated by criminals and terrorists in many parts of the country, unless interdicted or curtailed, will aggravate our economic problems, create fear and havoc on the citizens and cause disturbance on the normal lives of our people," he said.

Gonzalez did not specify what special powers Mrs. Arroyo would need in dealing with such threats. He said he would leave it to his colleagues to determine such powers and to set their parameters.

The President may or may not use such extra authority, "but she must not wait when the exigency is already there because…it will take time for Congress to act, considering the nature of the legislative process," he added.

Like De Venecia, Minority Leader Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya) believes that Mrs. Arroyo has enough powers to handle the situation.

"As commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and chief executive, she can harness the full force of the military, the national police, local government units, and other agencies in dealing with the various threats the country is facing," he said.

However, he said the Arroyo administration lacks the comprehensive strategy to confront these threats.

"She should lessen her photo-op sessions and begin to formulate a workable plan to combat terrorism. We in the opposition will support such a program," he added.

Besides De Venecia, other House allies of Mrs. Arroyo expressed opposition to the proposal to give her emergency powers.

"The situation may be regrettable, but these powers are not necessary at this time. If we grant them to the President, that will just demonstrate the helplessness of the government in the face of terrorist threats," said Rep. Oscar Moreno (Lakas, Misamis Oriental).

Moreno said what is needed is for the concerned authorities, particularly intelligence agencies, to do their job diligently.

He shared Mrs. Arroyo’s and De Venecia’s call for increased vigilance on the part of the citizenry.

"We cannot expect the government alone to solve this problem. Everybody must have to be involved," he said.

For his part, Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada Jr. (Lakas, Negros Occidental), said giving the President emergency powers would mean "falling into the terrorists’ trap."

"That is precisely what they want — to instill fear among the people and their leaders," he said.

Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, a colleague of Padilla in the opposition, urged the military and the police to do a better job in spying on and catching terrorists and other enemies of the state.

"They have P1.2 billion this year for intelligence information gathering. They should show the public results for such a huge sum," he said.

He said of that amount, P500 million is under the disposal of Mrs. Arroyo.

In a related development, Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Lakas, Bukidnon) urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release P22.4 billion in funds for the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government for this year.

"These funds could be used for security-related activities that aim to confront the terrorist threats we are facing. For instance, part of the money could be set aside as reward for information leading to the arrest of bombers and terrorists," Zubiri said.

He said he can understand the reluctance of DBM officials to release the money given the fact that the budget deficit is already large, but that the financial needs of agencies having to do with security should not be overlooked.

The DND has about P10 billion in unreleased funds, while the DILG has P12.4 billion.