Sotto sees immediate dismissal of ethics complaint vs him

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III on Monday said that he is positive the Senate ethics committee will immediately dismiss the complaint made against him for alleged plagiarism. Sotto said that after he presents his answer to the allegations made against him, the members of the Senate ethics committee will dismiss the complaint right away. "I'm very confident that it will not even reach into that [voting]," he told reporters after a weekly forum at the Diamond Hotel on Monday. "Siguradong dun pa lang sa pagpepresenta at pagsagot mo they can already decide there once and for all. Madali yun," he added. Last week, a group of bloggers and university professors filed an ethics complaint against Sotto, saying he should be disciplined by the Senate for allegedly plagiarizing works by other authors in his speeches against the controversial Reproductive Health bill. A lawyer and another group, meanwhile, asked the same Senate panel to dismiss the ethics complaint against Sotto. But Sotto said the complaint would not progress since, as recorded in the Senate journal, he stated in his speeches that he was not claiming ownership of any material he used. "Ang sagot lang dun ibigay mo ang journal ng Senate. Kung yung mga member ng ethics committee wala during the time I delivered my speech just give them a copy of [the Senate] journal," he said. He also reiterated that the copy being used by his detractors is just a draft of his speech. "That's a piece of paper unless it comes from the journal of the Senate or I delivered it in my speech that is not my speech kaya yun lang sagot na sa committee on ethics," he said. He likewise reminded the complainants of what matters can only be tackled by the panel. "They should read the rules of the Senate concerning the committee on ethics and what can be taken up in the committee on ethics," he said. According to Rule X Section 13 of the Senate rules, the ethics panel may take up "all matters relating to the conduct, rights, privileges, safety, dignity, integrity and reputation of the Senate and its members." "Aral pa naman sila ako'y taga-tabi-tabi lang.  Musikero lang ako sila napakatatalino nila bakit di nila binabasa yun," said the senator, who chairs the Senate committee on rules. Senate Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, on the other hand, is the chair of the ethics committee. But Sotto said he was not worried with the fact that the head of the panel is the brother of the RH bill co-sponsor in the Senate. "No I have no apprehensions [about that]," he said. He likewise said that even if the matter comes into a vote, he would abstain.  Sotto is an ex-officio member of the panel. "Sigurado...ni hindi ako aattend nun," he said. Cayetano has said that they will still have to establish their rules before they can hold a hearing on the complaint. Rule XXXIV Section 97 of the Senate rules says that the Senate upon the recommendation of the ethics committee may "punish any member for disorderly behavior and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the entire membership, suspend or expel a member." — BM, GMA News