DoJ chief hits ‘evil’ society, ‘Hyatt 10’

Romulo Neri, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, wasn’t sure if he indeed called President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “evil." But Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez albeit in jest, was sure that he mentioned the word “evil," — not pertaining to the President — but to the civil society. On Wednesday, Gonzalez, a loyal ally of Mrs Arroyo, lashed out at what he called the members of the “evil society" who renewed calls for the President’s resignation amid alleged anomalies in the $329.48-million National Broadband Network project. He said he was exhausted by the moves of groups calling for the ouster of the President, which never became successful. “I’m tired and sick about these threats of mass action and people power. We’ll find out if these have national footing," said Gonzalez in an interview with reporters. The justice chief said he was confident of the unity within the Arroyo Cabinet as demonstrated during Tuesday’s “unity walk" at Malacañang. Gonzalez said the present Cabinet was unlike the “Hyatt 10," or the previous members of the President’s Cabinet who resigned in 2005 during the height of the "Hello, Garci" controversy. “We had a Cabinet meeting two nights ago, but we did not sing ‘If We Held on Together’. We did not prepare bouquets of flowers," said Gonzales. In 2005, days before their resignation, Dinky Soliman, former social welfare secretary and other Cabinet members of “Hyatt 10" sang “If We Hold on Together" to President Arroyo and gave her bouquets of flowers. But the President’s critics at the Senate don’t subscribe to the views of Gonzalez. “I am quite confident that there might be some members of her Cabinet that might spill the beans on the ZTE (controversy)," said Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. For his part, Senate President Manuel Villar said that a “unity walk", did not necessarily mean that there was “unity talk" among members of the Arroyo Cabinet. “Hindi nangangahulugan ‘yan na siyempre lahat sila ay pare-pareho ang iniisip. Hindi mo malaman kung ano ang kanilang iniiisip habang naglalakad sila," he said. - GMANews.TV