Saguisag lodges ethics complaint vs Enrile

Former Senator Rene Saguisag on Thursday lodged an ethics complaint against Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile for allegedly pursuing personal interests during hearings on the Philippine Communications Satellite Corp. (Philcomsat) controversy. Saguisag's complaint filed before the office of Senate President Manuel Villar took issue with Enrile's "unethical and illegal behavior." Himself a former chair of the Senate ethics committee, Saguisag asked the Senate to issue an interpretive ruling on "ethical issues" regarding Enrile’s actions. "We would like to have this body determine whether it is good for Senator Enrile, the Senate, the nation and history to allow the spectacle of having brilliant and aggressive Senator-lawyer protect his family's interest … and defaming and ripping apart those concerned before a nationwide radio-TV audience," Saguisag said. During the hearings of the Senate government corporations committee, Saguisag acted as counsel for Philcomsat Holdings Corp. (PHC) directors Philip Brodett and lawyer Luis Lokin. In a statement, Saguisag noted that Enrile was able to obtain documents that were supposedly stolen from the Philcomsat office at the Pacific Star building, Makati City last September 15. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jose Balajadia had admitted dispatching his men to the Philcomsat office but contested that "not a single sheet of paper" was touched during the operation. Erlinda Ilusorio-Bildner, a Philcomsat stakeholder, then ordered office security to forcibly enter the premises to assist the Senate team in tracking down Commissioner Ricardo Abcede of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). During the hearing less than 24 hours later, Enrile presented photocopies of checks and reimbursement lists which would supposedly prove how PHC officers "abused" their positions. Interviewed at the time by GMAnews.Tv, Saguisag said it seemed "anomalously coincidental" that Enrile's documents were same ones "stolen" from the Philcomsat office. On Thursday, Saguisag said: "Within hours, the stolen papers would appear to have moved into the possession of Senator Enrile, who kept saying he had recused himself, but continued not only to observe but dominated the proceedings at that time, seemingly lawyering for one side, instead of doing what he was elected for, serve the people at large, not to protect his family's interests in what is at stake." Enrile inhibited himself from the hearings after disclosing that his daughter, Katrina Ponce Enrile, was a member of the Philcomsat board of directors. Enrile also admitted indirectly owning interest in Philcomsat, since his family owns 6.6 percent of Philippine Overseas Telecommunications Corp. (POTC), which in turn fully owns Philcomsat. PHC, meanwhile, is 80 percent owned by Philcomsat. Enrile then said that, "Under the rules of the Senate, my only obligation is to make a disclosure and its discretionary or inhibit myself or not. I have nothing to hide here, I am not inhibiting myself." However, Saguisag claimed that Enrile must have been fully aware that documents presented to the Senate should first be verified. "This would erase doubts… that the Senate is not convicting people through publicity," Saguisag's statement read. Saguisag insisted that Enrile should have skipped the entire proceedings because of Section 14 Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution. The provision prevents a senator, Saguisag claimed, from personally "appearing as counsel before any court of justice or before the electoral tribunals, or quasi-judicial or other administrative bodies and shall not directly or indirectly be financially interested in any contract with, franchise or special privilege granted by the Government and shall not intervene in any matter before any office in Government for his pecuniary benefit or he may be called upon to act on acct of his office." -GMANews.TV