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July 30, 2010
MANILA –Veteran senator Joker Arroyo on Wednesday advised President Benigno Aquino III to give the Truth Commission “teeth” to make sure it will succeed in investigating the anomalies that tainted the past administration of former President and now congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Arroyo, who served as Executive Secretary of President Aquino’s mother, former Corazon Aquino, said the Truth Commission is “toothless” since it will be formed through an executive order by the President. ”Anything that the President does via executive order does not have the force of the law. In other
words, it cannot compel attendance, it cannot compel anything. It will have no subpoena powers,” Arroyo said.
For the commission to succeed, Arroyo urged the President to form it through the enactment by the Congress. ”I would think that the best way to do it is to form a commission that is enacted by the congress with the teeth for safeguards,” Arroyo said. Arroyo said the best example of an investigative body is the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) which was enacted by former President Cory Aquino, who was then has legislation power, through executive order no. 1. ”That is a kind of investigative body that will ensure success,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo wondered why former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who will head the commission, has allowed the formation of the Truth Commission without having it enacted first by the Congress. ”No matter who heads that, if the body itself has no power, it’s a useless thing. The success or failure of the body, truth commission, will not defend upon who the chairman is. It will depend upon how strong it is the power that it has,” Arroyo explained.
Arroyo said the Truth Commission could not be compared to the commissions formed in Argentina, Chile and South America with approval of Congress since these were created to investigate abuses on human rights. ”Of course, I want the truth commission to succeed but give it teeth because I don’t want it to fail,” Arroyo said.
Some of the anomalies to be investigated by the Truth Commission include the botched 329-million dollar ZTE-NBN deal, fertilizer scam and the Hello Garci tape. (ON TO HONG KONG. Former President now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of the second district of Pampanga and her husband, Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, pass through the metal detector machine at the Centennial Terminal 2. The former first couple left Sundayt night for Mike’s checkup in Hong Kong, thus missing the State of the Nation Address of her successor, President
Aquino.)