Says Senator Gordon’s remarks that hearings will be conducted ’til Kingdom come’ already tantamount to “grave abuse of discretion”
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte directed his cabinet members not to attend hearings being conducted by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee anymore saying its chair Senator Richard Gordon is already “overstepping” his jurisdiction and already committing “grave abuse of discretion.
President Duterte during his “Talk to the People” on Sept. 30, said he has already directed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to prepare a memorandum on this. Duterte said the last straw was when Gordon said he would continue his hearings “until kingdom come.”
“Well, I’m telling you now, I am — I have ordered Secretary Medialdea to prepare the — Executive Secretary — I will issue a memorandum na lahat ng nasa Executive department will no longer obey your summons kasi kingdom come ka. Kailan mo matapos? Sabihin, ‘Eh basta kingdom come,’” he said.
“You are overstepping your jurisdiction on this. This is — there is an abuse of discretion already. This is not an acceptable statement in a democracy. We are run by laws and rules and you cannot do that.”
The President said that amid a crisis like the COVID situation, the key cabinet members should have more time focusing on the pandemic, and addressing problems, instead of attending Senate hearings for hours.
-Stay focused on COVID fight, Duterte tells his men-
“Kaya ako I will protect the people of the Republic of the Philippines by calling all the secretaries involved in the fight against COVID to stay focused. Eh kung pinapatawag nila ‘yan may mga decisions sa araw-araw ilan. They have to make critical and crucial decisions. And if they spend most of their time pinapatawag doon parang boy paupuin mo lang, eh medyo malabo ‘yan,” he said.
He also directed the police and the military to “stay out” of the matter if they will be asked by the Senate to bring members of the Executive department to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.
He said that the usual procedure is that the Senate sergeant-at- arms would be directed by the Senate to arrest the persons refusing to heed the summons or the Senate subpoena.
-Military, police told to “stay out” of Senate mess-
The President issued a warning if it would come to a point that the Senate would order the arrest of his cabinet men.
“I said that you have gone out of bounds amounting to lack of jurisdiction. So sabihin ko sa sergeant-at-arms ngayon, do not ever attempt to arrest anybody kasi ikaw ang arestuhin ko,” he said.
“Ngayon, you will order the police and the military to help the sheriff. Ako naman as Commander-in-Chief of all uniformed personnel of government, I am ordering the police and the military and everybody to stay out of this trouble. Huwag kayong sumali, huwag kayong sumunod kasi may crisis na tayo,” Duterte said.
-Duterte warns of possible constitutional crisis –
The President said that there could be a “constitutional crisis” if Gordon would insist to arrest his cabinet officials. He said the senator was already “treading on dangerous grounds.”
“You may resort to using the military, and sabihin ko sa military, ‘Stay out.’ My order is you stay put. Huwag kayong sumunod sa order ni Gordon kasi he is now treading on dangerous grounds,” Duterte said.
“Itong kanyang hearing is an exercise of grave abuse of discretion amounting to … lack of jurisdiction. That power to compel people to be there does not include abuse, does not include despotic ways, does not include like making a very reckless but deliberate statement which is an upfront to the Constitution when you say, ‘I will conduct the investigation until kingdom come,'” he said.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the Senate’s power to conduct investigations has one limitation — “that it must be in aid of legislation.”
Roque said that the Senate’s hearings are already hampering government work in addressing COVID-19 as the key officials are frequently called by the Senate to testify.
“Sa tingin ko po, iyong sinabi ni Senator Gordon that he will conduct the hearing ’till kingdom come,’ knowing na ang mga nagpa-participate po sa hearing ay ang mga kaparehong mga kalihim na in charge po sa COVID response ng ating bansa: ang DOH Secretary, ang Vaccine Czar, ang Testing Czar, ay ‘yan po ay tantamount already to grave abuse of discretion,” he said.
“Hindi naman po pupuwede na bilang Presidente na kapag na ang inyong katungkulan ay pagpapatupad ng batas, hindi po pupuwede magkaroon ng paralysis sa sangay ng gobyerno na nagbibigay serbisyo sa panahon ng COVID,” he said during Duterte’s Talk to the People.
President Duterte then issued a warning to Gordon.
“Be careful, Dick. Be careful in exercising the powers of government. There is always a limit to what you can do,” he said.
(Eagle News Service)
