Pimentel rejects Palace call for moratorium on Senate inquiries

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. rejected yesterday Malacañang’s call to stop inquiries into controversies and anomalies hounding the administration.

"This is like dropping one’s guard against the despicable activities of scoundrels in government," he said.

Pimentel said any suspension or termination of the Senate’s investigative functions will be tantamount to abdicating its constitutionally mandated role to oversee the activities of the executive branch.

"To stop the investigations now would make the Senate a participant in the cover-up of the misdeeds of the Arroyo administration," he said.

Pimentel said the people are expecting results or the completion of the investigations.

Senators have agreed to continue probing the P728-million fertilizer fund scam and the North Rail Project, he added.

Pimentel allayed apprehensions that the Senate investigations may eat up the time intended for the passage of pending bills.

"They fear that the investigations will detract from our law-making functions," he said. "It will not. As before, we will conduct investigation outside of the period for regular session."

Pimentel said President Arroyo and her associates are "obviously afraid" that the inquiries may yield more findings that would embarrass and damage the administration, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling voiding the Executive Order 464’s ban imposed on executive officials to appear before congressional hearings without presidential approval.

Mrs. Arroyo must make certain that government officials and personnel tagged in the various anomalies would be accountable for their actions, he added.

The Senate may also reopen the inquiry into the alleged 2004 electoral fraud in light of the reported break-in at the House of Representatives and alleged switching of election returns and other poll documents.

The inquiry into the jueteng scandal may also be revived.