Cayetano urges
political parties to sign pledge vs. corrupt members
By Office of the Senate
Majority Leader
March 14, 2014
PASAY CITY – Senate
Majority Leader Alan Peter “Companero” S. Cayetano is urging all
political parties to assure the Filipino people that they will
prioritize justice over patronage politics by publicly pledging to
expel members involved in corruption scandals.
Cayetano said his call is
similar to what election watchdogs demand from candidates during
elections, which is to refrain from engaging in fraud and violence. In
this case, he is asking political parties to sign an anti-corruption
covenant against corrupt partymates.
“Bakit hindi tayo pwedeng
magkaroon ng pirmahan na kahit kapartido, hahabulin niyo kapag may
anomalya. Kapag hindi katanggap-tanggap ang sagot nila, aalisin natin
sa partido,” the senator said.
Cayetano said in the US,
those involved in scandals either resign or are removed from the
political party even before any declaration of guilt from the courts.
“Pero sa atin, huling-huli
na, pagtatakpan pa ng kasama. Kaya ang justice system natin, pag
guilty ka, pagtatakpan ka. Kaya sa atin, ang last layer ng protection
ay eleksyon. Pag nanalo kakampi mo, abswelto ka. Yun ang gusto kong
alisin,” he explained.
Cayetano again challenged
Vice President Jejomar Binay to issue a strong statement against his
allies implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel scam or at least ask
them to explain their innocence to the Filipino people.
“Kung private citizen ka,
pwede mo sabihin na sa korte na lang magpapaliwanag. Pero kung ikaw ay
public official, kailangan mong harapin ang sambayanan. Utang mo sa
tao na sumagot ka sa tao. Kapag hindi ka sumagot, dapat kang parusahan
ng partido mo,” Cayetano said.
Binay’s previous statements
on the pork barrel probe of the Department of Justice (DOJ) have
raised fears among state witnesses that if he wins in the 2016
elections, the case will not be pursued.