By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
The creation of a Senate oversight committee would give former lawmaker and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan II the venue to explain the allegations against him over his use of the agency's intelligence funds.
DICT Secretary Gringo Honasan
(DICT / TWITTER / MANILA BULLETIN)
This was according to Senate leaders who gave the assurance, on the other hand, on Wednesday that they will not give their former colleague any special treatment should the issue be taken up by the proposed oversight committee.
"Well, you know, no one is above the law," Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters when asked about the possibility that Honasan will be probed by the committee.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson recently filed Resolution No. 310, which asks the chamber to reconstitute the Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds, Programs and Activities that would review how government agencies disburse and use the intelligence and confidential funds appropriated to them.
The two are close friends of Honasan, who was appointed to the DICT after his term as senator ended last year.
"We'll take everything as it's laid out. This in aid of legislation, kung merong inquiry (if there is an inquiry), kung merong dapat baguhin sa sistema ng funding (if there is a need to amend our funding system), or whatever, not only in the DICT, but other agencies that involves intelligence funds and confidential funds, then the oversight committee...will take everything at face value," Sotto said in a separate interview.
"Kung ano 'yong reklamo, kung ano 'yong makita, 'yong ang pag-uusapan (Whatever the complaint is, and whatever we find about it, then we will tackle it). It will always be a public hearing; it will not be closed-door or executive session," he added.
Lacson, who, as Senate defense committee chair will lead the committee, said it would "be better" to reestablish the said oversight committee to give concerned parties the opportunity to shed light on the issue.
Honasan, he said, has expressed to him his willingness to speak before the Upper Chamber.
"He's more than willing to air his side kasi (because) these are insinuations at gusto niya rin malaman ano ang puno't dulo no'ng mga allegations na binabato sa kanya (and he also wants to know the root cause of the allegations hurled against him)," Lacson said.
Honasan was accused of misusing at least P300 million of the DICT's confidential funds based on a Commission on Audit report last year. The funds were supposedly released for cyber security and surveillance purposes, which was questioned by DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, who has resigned.
The senators, however, doubted that Honasan will be involved in any misuse of government funds.
"Sa pagkakakilala ko sa kanya, hindi ma-i-involve sa anomalya 'yon (As I know him, he will never be involved in any anomaly)," Sotto said, citing the former soldier and rebel's "track record".
"Marami sa aming naniniwala (Many of us believe that) he's a man of integrity. Sec. Honasan has always conducted himself with integrity in the Senate...That's why dapat malaman natin ano’ng nangyari sa (we must know what happened to the) intelligence funds," Zubiri said.
Lacson also said his impression about Honasan remains unchanged, as he maintained that the allegations against the latter "lack concrete evidence."
He also believed that the DICT has the authority to use its intelligence and confidential funds in protecting the country against possible cyber attacks.
Zubiri said the Upper Chamber will discuss Sotto and Lacson's proposal at "the soonest possible time" for adoption.