Miriam swears in son as party-list solon

(Updated 2:55 p.m.) Feisty Senator Miriam Santiago herself administered the oath of office to her son, Narciso "Archie" Santiago III, as new party-list Representative of the Alliance of Rural Concerns (ARC) although the group itself had earlier expelled him. The elder Santiago, a former judge, swore in her only surviving child on Wednesday right inside the office of Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos in Intramuros, Manila. Comelec Commissioner Romeo Brawner was also present during the oath-taking. "I shall try my best to continue my mother's work as former agrarian reform secretary, by advocating the concerns of poor farmers, fisherfolk, and rural women with issues," the young Santiago said in a statement. His mother served as agrarian reform secretary of former President Corazon Aquino. "I am the face of an alliance, so I will have to deal with various viewpoins ranging from moderate to radical left. I need to design a rural development program that will be acceptable to my colleagues in the House," the young Santiago said. The young Santiago was ARC's top nominee but the group announced last week that he had been expelled him, giving as reasons loss of confidence, dishonesty, unauthorized exercise of authority and gross violations of the group's Constitution and by-laws. ARC, which is campaigning for the extension of the comprehensive agrarian reform program, was among 13 party-list groups proclaimed as winners by the Comelec. It is set to get one seat in the House of Representatives. In a letter to the Comelec law department dated and received July 9, Frank Roy Ribo, ARC national president said they decided to replace Santiago with Romulo Tapayan. He attached the resolution of the ARC National Executive Committee dated July 6 approving the withdrawal of Santiago's nomination. The group said Santiago has been invited to attend various meetings and conferences of the party but has failed to do so except the June 4 meeting in Quezon City where he arrived late and left early. They added Santiago appeared to have falsely declared himself as a registered voter in the precinct indicated in his acceptance form and filed with the Comelec a Statement of Expenditures and Contributions without any authority from the party and failed to report or account to them such election funds received. "The foregoing acts of Mr. Narciso Santiago III is prejudicial to the interest and welfare of the party, erodes the trust and confidence bestowed on him and constitutes loss of confidence," the group said. Comelec has yet to act on the group's petition. But in an earlier interview, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said after elections, the names of nominees cannot be withdrawn. "An election has been concluded, its too late in the day to withdraw the names submitted to the commission," he said. The young Santiago is his mother's chief of staff in the Commission on Appointments. He has been part of his mother's Senate staff since obtaining his master's degree in business administration from the University of Asia and the Pacific. The elder Santiago is known as an ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo although the senator was one of her staunch critics shortly after detained former President Joseph Estrada was ousted from power in 2001. -GMANews.TV