Imee appears before House inquiry; panel frees ‘Ilocos Six’

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos obliged the House Committee on Good Government with her presence on Tuesday thereby evading arrest while six Ilocos Norte provincial employees were freed after 57 days of detention at the resumption of the congressional hearing into the alleged misuse of the 165-million tobacco excise tax.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny TyPimentel who chairs the committee said the release of the “Ilocos Six” detained for contempt since May 29 and Gov. Marcos’ appearance did not end the congressional investigation into the anomalous transactions.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the panel received a wealth of information and evidence that may have affirmed a Commission on Audit report on irregularities it discovered over the purchase of vehicles using the excise tax share of the province.

Pimentel said the House panel will complete the probe and determine lapses in government procurement and the tobacco excise tax law to be able to recommend pieces of legislation that would address them.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile acted as Marcos’ counsel as the governor yielded to a House subpoena that threatened her with arrest if she failed to attend Tuesday’s hearing.

However, the lady governor courted arrest during the hearing when Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas moved to cite her in contempt for refusing to reveal the source of an information she gave media regarding the alleged 1100-million bribe given to lawmakers in order to pursue the irregularities.

Mere suspicion A newspaper report indicated that the congressional investigation was staged-managed by sectors allied with the Liberal Party in exchange for a 1100-million payoff.

Marcos did not deny she had made the accusation in a media interview but insisted the information was merely shared by a reliable source whom she refused to identify.

“For the last time I plead to you (to reveal your source) since you are not the source yourself. Sino po ang nagsabi sa inyo na may 1100 million na binabayad para kayo ay ipitin ng Kongreso?” warned Fariñas after asking her to reveal the source of the alleged information.

It was at this juncture that Marcos sought time to consult with Enrile, her other lawyers and her mother, former first lady now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

When the hearing resumed, Marcos apologized to Fariñas and the lawmakers, saying that what she stated was a “mere suspicion.”

“I withdraw the accusation that P100 million circulated,” she said.

The good government panel decided to release the six detained Ilocos Norte employes, namely, provincial treasurer Josephine Calajate; Encarnacion Gaor and Genedine Jambaro from the Office of the Provincial Treasurer; budget officer Evangeline Tabulog; Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman and Provincial Planning and Development Office head Engr. Pedro Agcaoili; and Eden Batulayan, OIC of the Provincial Accounting Office. Purchases Before moving to have them re- leased, Fariñas noted that the six employees have finally cooperated in the probe by testifying as to their knowledge about the purchases made using the tobacco excise tax, thus: • 118,600,000 on December 1, 2011 for 40 mini-cabs to be given to barangays • 115,300,000 on May 25, 2012 for 5 secondhand buses • 132,550,000 on September 12, 2012 for 70 Foton mini trucks for municipalities Batulayan admitted receiving the cash advance to purchase the mini trucks that turned out to be Foton Foreland. The rest confirmed their participation in perfecting the deal that included processing the documents for the purchase.