Ping won't dignify Miriam's attacks against Senate hearings

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson refused to dignify yesterday attacks by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who has described the Senate hearings on the alleged anomalies during the past Arroyo administration as “valueless.”

“Nobody dignifies her insults to her fellow senators. Nobody dignifies her insults to the members of the Supreme Court and members of the Lower House. And now no one dignifies her insults. I an one of those who won’t dignify,” Lacson said in Filipino when asked to react to Santiago’s tirades against her fellow senators actively participating in Senate probes.

Santiago said the Senate probes were “useless” and “valueless” because they have become avenues for self-advertisement by some senators.

She noted that committee reports generated in Senate inquiries remain recommendatory in nature, and concerned agencies such as the Ombudsman and Department of Justice may or may not act on them.

Lacson spearheaded the exposés on the alleged anomaly in the sale of two pre-owned helicopters to the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2009, linking former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to the deal.

As far as the Senate is concerned, Lacson said he and his colleagues are merely doing their jobs and oversight function as lawmakers.

“Whatever criticisms we get, in our view, we are just doing what is right to reveal the anomalies of the past and what comes out today. Our job entails oversight function and we have the right to question these kinds of anomalies,” he said over dwIZ radio.

Lacson added that it is within the rights of LTA bookkeeper Rowena del Rosario to pursue her complaint against the Senate for detaining her last week for evading questions on the Senate probe on the PNP choppers.

Although a non-lawyer, the former chief of police expressed belief that the Senate was on solid legal ground when it ordered Del Rosario’s detention on Monday last week.

Del Rosario’s camp is said to be pursuing the case against her arrest and detention in the Senate even after she was freed by the chamber last week. He lawyers said they want the court to decide squarely on the issue.

Senators detained Del Rosario last Monday after she failed to satisfy members of the Blue Ribbon committee investigating the allegedly anomalous sale of second-hand helicopters to the PNP.

She claimed she was working as bookkeeper of Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo when the family-owned LTA Inc. supposedly rented five helicopters from Lionair Inc., two of which were subsequently sold as brand-new to the PNP.

The committee decided to free del Rosario last Thursday.