From the Office of Rep. Crispin Beltran

South Wing Room 602 House of Representatives

Constitution Hills 1126 Quezon City, Philippines

Reference: Rep.Crispin Beltran (+63)9278711080

Ina Alleco R. Silverio, chief of staff  931.6615, 09195065269

 

 News Release   Thursday, January 11, 2007

 

It is up to the Sandiganbayan to say if Malacanang didn't benefit from Perez' extortion - solon

 

 Anakpawis Representative and political detainee Crispin Beltran today said that the extortion charges former congressman Mark Jimenez against former Justice Secretary Hernando 'Nani' Perez should not be allowed to slip though the cracks and dismissed. He said that the Office of the Ombudsman has already acknowledged the credibility of the case, "So by all means, the charges should be investigated. Ex-DOJ secretary Nani Perez must also be allowed to present his side on this issue which has remained unresolved for so long; but he should be compelled to speak only the truth, even if exposing it means doing damage to Malacanang and his former boss, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," he said.

 

Beltran said that it was evident that Malacanang itself was caught unawares by the resurfacing of this issue which first made the headlines four years ago. He said that Malacanang was clearly trying to distance itself from the accused Perez.

 

"Malacanang is being very, very careful in its treatment of this issue because if memory serves,  even the president was accused of protecting Perez when the extortion charges were first floated four years back. Despite Mr. Jimenez' swiftness in absolving Macapagal-Arroyo from involvement in what he says as Perez' extortion, it is still up to the Office of the Ombudsman to determine who else benefited from the alleged extortion," he said. "Perez, after all, used to be a close and trusted official of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration, enjoying the full trust and confidence of the president herself. "

  

"It is most commendable that the Ombudswoman Merciditas Gutierrez has taken on this case, and Malacanang should be warned against imposing any pressure on the Sandiganbayan or influencing its decision on how to investigate the details of the case," he added.

 

"The Sandiganbayan should be protected against any possible attempts of Malacanang to limit the investigations to Perez alone. For the sake of the Filipino people's unending quest to fight corruption in government and for transparency in public office, the Sandiganbayan should stand firm and conduct honest and thoroughgoing deliberations on this case."

 

"It's suspicious that Malacanang should sound so careful in its statements on the issue  instead of issuing a flat out denial like it has been wont to do whenever confronted with controversies of a similar stripe. This case has clearly thrown Malacanang for a loop, and it wouldn't be surprising if it is now making secret moves to undermine the upcoming investigations and save itself from any possible culpability," he said.

 

Finally, the activist lawmaker said that no one should be exempted from the investigations, especially not Malacanang. He said that even if Mr. Jimenez has taken to dismissing the allegations against Mrs. Arroyo and incumbent justice secretary Raul Gonzalez that they had knowledge of the extortion, the accusations should nonetheless be looked into.

 

"Despite the seeming confusion arising from the resurrection of this issue, what is clear is that there are still quite a number of corruption cases involving the incumbent administration and its officials that have yet to resolved. It's not just Nani Perez who's being accused here, but the administration he served. Malacanang cannot completely wash its hands of the responsibility over this extortion case," he said.#