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Miriam calls Enrile a ‘mastermind of plunder’ and ‘serial womanizer’
By ANDREO CALONZO, GMA News
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(Updated 7:01 p.m.) Before a live television audience, a senatorial feud has gotten very personal, with Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago on the Senate floor calling the 89-year-old Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile a “hypersexualized serial womanizer" who had an affair with his chief of staff and broke up her marriage.
The ailing Santiago made a rare appearance at the Senate on Wednesday to launch a counterattack against Enrile, who called her a "depraved mind" in his own privilege speech last week. Sen. Sergio Osmeña earlier in the day called the Santiago-Enrile word war a waste of the Senate's time.
As Santiago hurled her accusations and gesticulated at her adversary, Enrile fiddled around on his tablet computer and occasionally smirked.
The ailing Santiago made a rare appearance at the Senate on Wednesday to launch a counterattack against Enrile, who called her a "depraved mind" in his own privilege speech last week. Sen. Sergio Osmeña earlier in the day called the Santiago-Enrile word war a waste of the Senate's time.
As Santiago hurled her accusations and gesticulated at her adversary, Enrile fiddled around on his tablet computer and occasionally smirked.
In a litany of negative superlatives, Santiago called Enrile a “mastermind of plunder,” “the king of smuggling, gambling and illegal logging empires” and a “hypersexualized serial womanizer.”
In a response shortly after the speech, Enrile said her remarks proves there is "something wrong" with her mental health.
Name-calling and self-promotion
Santiago took a break from her extended convalescence from chronic fatigue syndrome to take the fight to Enrile, a classic Santiago performance sprinkled with name-calling and self-promotion.
In addition to raising questions about her sanity, Enrile last week ridiculed Santiago's purportedly low grade on the ethics portion of the bar exams.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Sergio Osmeña had expressed dismay at the Santiago-Enrile feud. “This does not help the image of the Senate. This does not affect legislation," Osmeña said.
Santiago, who attended a Senate session for the first time in this Congress, called on the Department of Justice to conduct “an immediate and exhaustive” investigation of Enrile’s alleged crimes.
She also threatened to file an ethics complaint against Enrile at the Senate for committing “unparliamentary acts” for attacking her in a privilege speech last week.
“His speech amounted to verbal violence against a woman confined to her sickbed, while he preened in the Senate, demonstrating his skill as the Drama King of corrupt politics,” Santiago declaimed while throwing dagger looks at Enrile, who was within spitting distance of his would-be nemesis.
She also threatened to file an ethics complaint against Enrile at the Senate for committing “unparliamentary acts” for attacking her in a privilege speech last week.
“His speech amounted to verbal violence against a woman confined to her sickbed, while he preened in the Senate, demonstrating his skill as the Drama King of corrupt politics,” Santiago declaimed while throwing dagger looks at Enrile, who was within spitting distance of his would-be nemesis.
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday said Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s scathing speech against him only confirmed that there was “something wrong” with her mental health.
“Our colleague only confirmed everything I said about her mental health and her propensity to make unfounded accusations,” Enrile said in a manifestation minutes after Santiago’s privilege speech.
He also challenged the public to scrutinize and find “shenanigans” in his records during the Martial Law Era and in relation to the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).
Enrile likewise said that he was “saddened” that Santiago dragged private individuals, especially his former chief-of-staff Gigi Gonzales-Reyes, in their word war.
“She makes attacks against innocent people, especially my former chief-of-staff without an iota of proof,” he said.
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Santiago accused Enrile of being responsible for the deaths and disappearances of students and activists during the martial law era, when he served as defense minister.
Before an audience of students in the Senate gallery she invited from various universities, Santiago recounted how Enrile supposedly ordered the arrest of college seniors conducting an anti-government protest in 1985. She was the judge at their trial.
She also criticized Enrile for supposedly flip-flopping on his account about an ambush during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, which she said established “the ground for the imposition of Martial Law.”
“My attacker is the icon of shameless lying… He eats his own words for breakfast. In the law of evidence, he has absolutely no credibility,” she said.
After Santiago’s speech, Enrile said in a manifestation that he has never oppressed anyone, and that his records during the Martial Law era are open to public scrutiny.
Biggest ‘pork’ recipient
Before an audience of students in the Senate gallery she invited from various universities, Santiago recounted how Enrile supposedly ordered the arrest of college seniors conducting an anti-government protest in 1985. She was the judge at their trial.
She also criticized Enrile for supposedly flip-flopping on his account about an ambush during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, which she said established “the ground for the imposition of Martial Law.”
“My attacker is the icon of shameless lying… He eats his own words for breakfast. In the law of evidence, he has absolutely no credibility,” she said.
After Santiago’s speech, Enrile said in a manifestation that he has never oppressed anyone, and that his records during the Martial Law era are open to public scrutiny.
Biggest ‘pork’ recipient
Santiago dwelled on Enrile's alleged involvement in pork barrel corruption, calling him the “biggest recipient of pork barrel” from the scam supposedly engineered by controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
She also accused Enrile of being Napoles’s “Best Friend Forever,” and of trying to divert the public's attention through black propaganda.
She also challenged Enrile to a televised public debate on the plunder charge against him.
“I hope this clash of titans in the Senate will lead to an Armageddon in Philippine politics,” she said towards the grandiose end of her diatribe.
Enrile is currently facing a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly receiving millions of kickbacks from the alleged pork barrel scam. He has repeatedly denied involvement in the supposed anomaly.
‘Serial womanizer’
She also challenged Enrile to a televised public debate on the plunder charge against him.
“I hope this clash of titans in the Senate will lead to an Armageddon in Philippine politics,” she said towards the grandiose end of her diatribe.
Enrile is currently facing a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly receiving millions of kickbacks from the alleged pork barrel scam. He has repeatedly denied involvement in the supposed anomaly.
‘Serial womanizer’
Santiago also accused Enrile of having an illicit affair with his former chief of staff, Gigi Gonzales-Reyes.
“And this libertine pontificates about morality? To win the so-called Catholic vote, he pretended to be a determined enemy of the reproductive health law,” Santiago said.
After Santiago's speech, Enrile said he was saddened that Santiago had dragged “innocent” people, particularly Reyes, into their feud.
[Watch: Sen. Miriam Santiago's privilege speech]“And this libertine pontificates about morality? To win the so-called Catholic vote, he pretended to be a determined enemy of the reproductive health law,” Santiago said.
After Santiago's speech, Enrile said he was saddened that Santiago had dragged “innocent” people, particularly Reyes, into their feud.
– RSJ/HS/TJD/KBK, GMA News
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