AN opposition legislator on Monday expressed outrage over the reported plan of controversial figures closely associated with the administration to run for seats in the House of Representatives, charging that Malacañang is out to convert the legislature into a “den of cheaters, liars, thieves and killers.”

Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna minced no words in slamming the election plans of such controversial personalities as former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, and retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.

Garcillano, who figured in the “Hello Garci” scandal that nearly led to President Arroyo’s ouster, is reportedly seeking a congressional seat in Bukidnon, while Bolante, who was linked to the multibillion-peso fertilizer fund scam, is running in Capiz.

Gonzales is reportedly planning to contest the seat being held by Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino Rep. Albert Garcia of Bataan, while Palparan is reportedly planning for a congressional seart in Cagayan de Oro City.     

Casiño said it was obvious that these personalities were being egged by the Palace to run for public office.

“It is truly distressing to see how Malacañang’s obsession with putting its loyalists in Congress has turned into,” he said.

President Arroyo has signed into law Republic Act 9371, which provides for the apportionment of the lone district of Cagayan de Oro City.

Once it takes effect, the law signed on February 22, would allot two congressional seats for the district where Palparan is reportedly planning to run for congressman.

Palparan said in a telephone interview with reporters that he has not made up his mind on whether to run or not, but admitted that he is being wooed by some political parties to run under their banner.

Palparan, who has been at odds with human rights and militant groups for alleged abuses committed in pursuit of the anti-insurgency campaign, said that he is seriously mulling running for office because he wants to extend his public service which officially ended when he retired last year.

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. meanwhile, asked Malacañang to check the rising incidence of “honest mistakes” being committed by administration officials against opposition leaders, voicing concern it was starting to look like a systematic pattern of State-sanctioned harassment that should not be tolerated.

Villar cited the aggravation resulting from an “honest mistake” admitted by the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., in ordering the recall of the military security detail assigned to former President Joseph Estrada when Villar himself was barred from seeing the fallen leader at his Tanay farm owing to an alleged assassination threat by communist rebels against Estrada.

“I hope they do not do it again,” Villar told Senate reporters, noting that the similar “honest mistakes” by administration officials harassing opposition figures are getting more frequent.

The Genuine Opposition’s (GO) campaign will push through with or without reelectionist Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

San Juan, Metro Manila Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito, GO campaign manager, however, stressed that Pangilinan is still included on the lineup of GO but the coalition will not campaign for him, as he as clarified a television report quoting him as saying that Pangilinan has been dropped from the opposition slate.

“My position as campaign manager is that I will just continue to campaign for the 11 candidates who are cooperative,” Ejercito said.

“I cannot let one person hamper our operations, we can go on without him,” he said.

An earlier report quoted Ejercito as confirming that the opposition coalition has agreed to boot out Pangilinan as its “guest” candidate. (J. Cadacio, B. Fernandez, M. Gonzalez and B. Cordero)

IN an apparent attempt to cushion the impact of the Melo Commission report and the findings of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston pointing to the military as responsible for the series of extrajudicial killings, the Armed Forces presented three former member of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), who it said could bolster its earlier claim that it was the NPA that should be blamed for the killings.

FORMER President Joseph Estrada on Monday reiterated his request to the Sandiganbyan’s Special Division to modify his custodial arrangement by allowing his transfer and stay in his house in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, at least during the election period so that he could help the Genuine Opposition (GO).

AN opposition legislator on Monday expressed outrage over the reported plan of controversial figures closely associated with the administration to run for seats in the House of Representatives, charging that Malacañang is out to convert the legislature into a “den of cheaters, liars, thieves and killers.”

EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus explained on Monday that the Alternative Learning System (ALS) is not a conventional education program although it is equivalent to regularly acquired school education.