Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III today objected to a plan of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman to issue a partial report on the public hearing on the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB) sugar importation fiasco.
"The issue in this investigation is simple enough that a partial report is not warranted anymore. Puede na derecho sa (it is advisable to issue) a final report, after ES (Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez’s) testimony," Pimentel said.
Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino, committee chairman, told Senate reporters last night that he planned to issue a partial committee on the sugar importation fiasco while the committee awaits the return of Rodriguez to the Senate committee hearing.
Tolentino had said he understood how busy Rodriguez is in his role as Executive Secretary.
He, nevertheless, said his committee had formally extended its invitation for Rodriguez to return to the Senat
Several senators want to question or resume questioning Rodriguez. The committee planned to hold its third hearing next Tuesday.
Rodriguez attended the first hearing but cut it short because he had to attend a Cabinet meeting.
He was expected to be with President Marcos during his upcoming trip to Indonesia and Singapore and later to the United. States where the President would attend the United Nations General Assembly
Pimentel said the "decision of the chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee weakens his own committee, which we should not allow."
"The Blue Ribbon investigation cannot and should not be closed until and unless we (some members) of the committee get to 'cross-examine' ES Rodriguez on the testimony he gave," Pimentel said.
"This is our right as members of the Blue Ribbon committee and also as a matter of fairness to those he mentioned in his testimony in a very negative light," he pointed out.