Senators took exception to President Duterte's claim that Senate investigations do nothing in improving the government, prompting them to enumerate previous hearings that led to changes in the current administration.
At the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's hearing on the audit report on the Department of Health's (DOH) disbursement of COVID-19 funds, Senator Richard Gordon addressed Duterte by recalling previous hearings conducted by his committee on the various controversies that hounded government agencies under the latter's administration.
"Mr. President, kaunting respeto rin naman po (please have some respect for the Senate, too). We respect you, I respect you, because you are the President of the Philippines...Pero huwag naman po tayo magsasalita sa co-equal branch of government na hindi ginagawa ang trabaho nila (But don't speak of a co-equal branch of government like it isn't doing its job)," Gordon said in his opening statement.
Gordon, among others, recalled the Blue Ribbon panel's inquiry on the bribery scandal in the Bureau of Immigration (BI), which involved former immigration officials and gambling tycoon Jack Lam, as well as former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
He also mentioned their investigation on the smuggling of illegal drugs in the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which resulted in the filing of charges and former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and other officials.
The Blue Ribbon Committee chairman also noted their 2019 hearings on the "ninja cops" controversy in the Philippine National Police (PNP), or those who allegedly recycle illegal drugs hauled in operations. Like Aguirre and Faeldon, the PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde was forced to resign amid the investigation.
Anomalies and irregularities surrounding the Bureau of Corrections were also exposed because of the investigations on the erroneous release of Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) to inmates, he added.
In a separate statement, Gordon said the hearings conducted by his committee had "been effective and meaningful" and had "concrete results" that "led to the conviction of various high-ranking government officials."
Copies of their recommendations and findings had also been forwarded to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman, he pointed out.
"Huwag naman ninyong sasabihin na huwag makinig at walang nangyayari dito sa Senado. Sapagkat ang Senado po ay halal ng buong bansa (Don't go telling the people not to listen because nothing happens here in the Senate. Because the members of the Senate are elected by the people)," Gordon told Duterte, dismissing the latter's statements as "mere speculations".
'Pastillas' scam
Like Gordon, Senator Risa Hontiveros also corrected Duterte by recalling the inquiry conducted by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender of the "pastilas" controversy, also in the BI.
The pastillas was an alleged modus of extorting from foreign nationals in exchange for quick and illegal entry into the Philippines. It was derived from a local pastry, since the grease money given to immigration personnel were supposedly wrapped like pastillas.
Based on the investigation, corrupt BI officers allegedly pocketed about P40 billion in bribes.
"Matapos nyang magpatanggal ng mga tauhan sa loob ng Bureau of Immigration, sya pa ngayon ang magsasabi na 'Huwag maniwala sa imbestigasyon'? Eh sinong pinapaniwalaan nya noon kung hindi ang resulta ng imbestigasyon?" Hontiveros said in a statement.
"Napakaraming naitutulong ng mga hearing sa Senado, pero 'yong pagdadabog niya tuwing hatinggabi, walang ambag kundi bangungot (Hearings in the Senate have contributed a lot, unlike his rant every night, which bring nothing but nightmares)," she added.
"Kung tunay ang hangarin nyang labanan ang graft and corruption sa ilalim ng administrasyon niya, kung pwede lang, huwag syang makialam (If he really wants to fight graft and corruption under his administration, he should not meddle with our work)," Hontiveros said.
Constitutional duty
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also stood for the Upper Chamber and objected to Duterte's remarks.
"Let me state that I take strong objection to what was said about the investigations we’ve been conducting," Drilon said in his manifestation during Friday's Senate hearing.
"With all due respect, to investigate in aid of legislation is Senate’s constitutional mandate," added the former Senate president. "It is our responsibility as duly elected representatives of the people to unearth truths, especially concerning disbursement of public funds."
Echoing Gordon, Drilon said: "Our investigations not only yielded to numerous meaningful legislations but also led to the prosecution of corrupt officials. There’s a long list of these instances."
Sen. Joel Villanueva likewise defended their work, saying: "Probes are not hobbies that we pursue, but a constitutional duty we perform."
"It is a role assigned to us by the people and not something we do on a whim," he pointed out.
Villanueva also denied Duterte's "posturing" claim against senators.
"We do not relish conducting investigation. In fact, we shall be happy if the need ceases to exist because it would mean that a government is running smoothly, free from irregularities," he said.
"Investigations have led to the correction of bad policies, money of taxpayers saved, crimes averted, questions answered and the truth revealed. This system of checks-and-balance is how a government of laws operate, run by men who must account for their deeds, subject to audit, because democracy can only thrive on never ending oversight," Villanueva said.