THE Senate moved to reprimand Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon and National Police chief Avelino Razon for snubbing an invitation to testify at an inquiry into the “warrantless arrests” of journalists who covered the November 29 Peninsula Manila Hotel standoff.

Sen. Francis Escudero, chairman of the justice committee conducting the joint inquiry with the public order committee chaired by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, said Senate probers did not accept the excuse of the five officials that their appearance at the public hearing could jeopardize ongoing operations to identify and capture other personalities involved in the Peninsula case.

“We will be looking at police liabilities as well,” Escudero said, referring to the unwarranted police action to handcuff and haul in a prison bus about 50 media- men for “processing” in a police camp after the police ended the standoff with rebel soldiers at the Makati hotel.

Escudero said officials who ignored the hearing missed the opportunity to explain their case. “It is their loss if they choose not to avail themselves of the chance to testify at the hearing. If they really believed what they did was right, they should have volunteered to come and not hide from us.”

“We cannot take it sitting down and we should not take it sitting down; either sanctions would have to be imposed or reminders would have to be issued against these people who fail and refuse to heed to our lawful invitation of a committee in order to give clarities to certain issues,” he added. “But for me, this is a loss to the PNP, to the DILG, to the DND and to the DOJ. If they don’t want to lay out to the public their position and they are clobbered in this hearing because no one answers from their side, it’s their loss.”

The only government official who faced the senators was Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, who said the Revised Penal Code has enough provisions to govern the conduct of all parties in incidents as the Pen standoff.           

Senators also expressed dismay over the decision of the Executive to disallow representatives of relevant agencies to appear at the Senate hearing on the Peninsula incident. “The absence of AFP, PNP and other civilian authorities deprived the senators and the public of information regarding the kind of coverage protocol that they have in mind for media to consider during times of conflict,” said Sen. Mar Roxas II.

Roxas and colleague Benigno Aquino III filed Senate Resolution 229 calling for the Senate inquiry into the “processing” of journalists after the Manila Peninsula standoff on November 29, where they noted “the press is duly recognized by the Constitution as a counterbalance against the institutional abuse of power, through the transparent coverage of news events, in order to forestall any and all forms of abuse, deception or propaganda.”

City officials, Public Works executives in graft cases

THE Ombudsman for the Visayas on Wednesday filed graft charges against Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and other city officials for the alleged overpriced purchase of personal computer sets and 10 regional officials of the Public Works department for alleged irregularities in the acquisition of surveillance cameras used during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Cebu in January.

VEHICULAR traffic in Metro Manila remained normal but leaders of militant groups that declared the nationally coordinated protest actions on Thursday said the transport strike was “successful” even before they started.

WITH its 2007 collection at risk of not being attained due to reduced imports and exports attributed to the strong peso, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) can console itself this Christmas with its 2006 performance that got it a huge P539-million reward for exceeding its given target of P197 billion by P2.2 billion.

FOR uniting a politically fragmented nation during his fights, boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao was named Ambassador of Peace, along with nine others, Wednesday night at the Quirino Grandstand during the launching of the Global Peace Festival, an international initiative that seeks to forge world peace.

THE National Police is taking an active role in the case monitoring and tracking efforts of Task Force 211, or the Task Force Against Political Violence, created by President Arroyo through Administrative Order 211.

THE Senate moved to reprimand Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon and National Police chief Avelino Razon for snubbing an invitation to testify at an inquiry into the “warrantless arrests” of journalists who covered the November 29 Peninsula Manila Hotel standoff.

THE Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) on Thursday demanded the payment of more than P700 million in unpaid allowances following Malacañang’s announcement of a P10,000 performance bonus each to government workers.