No midnight sale of government assets - Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang sought yesterday to douse suspicions that it is rushing the sale of government assets to boost its campaign war chest for the elections next year.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo explained the administration has been implementing the privatization program of the government.

Fajardo made the explanation in reaction to the statements of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. that the administration is engaging in a “midnight sale” of government assets.

Pimentel said the rush in the sale of government assets is designed more to fatten the pockets of corrupt officials in the remaining months of President Arroyo’s term of office.

“Privatization has long been a program of our administration and I think if there are allegations such as the one that Senator Pimentel has been saying, I think if they can be proven, charges can be filed against the government officials, who may be tagged by evidence,” Fajardo said.

Fajardo said Pimentel was unfair in making the statement.

“It would be unfair for such statement, saying that there is a rush in the sale of assets because the administration of the President is about to end,” she said.

Pimentel said to make up for its deficiency in tax collections, “the Arroyo administration has been selling all kinds of assets, from its shareholdings in Petron and Meralco to military camps or reservations apparently without due regard to the strategic importance of maintaining government stake in these corporate enterprises.”

Pimentel urged the government to desist from selling more state assets to allay apprehensions that such business deals are part of the fund-raising campaign for administration candidates in the 2010 elections.       – Paolo Romero