After Aytona, fertilizer firm's exec expected to surface next

MANILA, Philippines - Following the surrender of Maritess Aytona, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on Thursday said the top official of the firm which allegedly cornered fertilizer supply contracts in the P728-million fertilizer fund mess is expected to surface next. In a press conference, Blue Ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon said he has received feelers from Julie Gregorio, president of Feshan Philippines Inc, expressing intent to appear before the panel's hearings into the controversy. "We have had feelers now because of what happened. We now have feelers from Julie Gregorio and company," Gordon said, adding that Gregorio's lawyer went to the Senate and brought a letter for him. Gordon said threats to bring evasive personalities in the fertilizer fund mess to the Pasay City jail might have led to Gregorio's decision to surface. "I consider Pasay City jail for people na matigas ang ulo (hard-headed). I think that worked, natakot sila sa Pasay City jail kaya nagdatingan sila (they were afraid to be brought to the Pasay City jail so they decided to surface)," Gordon said. In the letter dated December 17, which Gordon read, Gregorio asked that she be excused from Wednesday's hearing because the documents being requested by the committee are unavailable. Gregorio also said in the letter: "May I, in the spirit of holiday season, beg your indulgence not to issue said warrant as I am under the impression that my actions will be excused... Please accept my sincerest apologies for not coming today and I commit that similar incident shall not be repeated in the future." Gordon said the Blue Ribbon committee will again issue subpoena to Gregorio for the next hearing. The senator, however, said he has yet to hear from Jaime Paule, who was earlier identified as a Malacañang liaison officer. Around noon Thursday, Gordon and officials of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms fetched Aytona at the Sofitel Hotel and immediately took her under the Senate's custody. Aytona decided to give herself up to Gordon a day after the Senate ordered her arrest for her repeated failure to appear before the committee's inquiry on the P72-million fertilizer scam. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV