Enrile defends ‘cash gifts’ to senators

[lhorenzoo]

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MANILA -- Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile defended himself on Wednesday against accusations of bribing his colleagues in the Senate to keep his post following a newspaper report that he gave P1.6 million as “cash gifts” for Christmas.
“Those Senators who think that I am bribing anyone with additional budgets in order to keep my post as Senate President must have a very low opinion about their own colleagues. I was elected as Senate President twice and I can look at anyone straight in the eye in saying that I did not buy this position. Not one single centavo of the people's money is spent just to enable me to cling to this office,” Enrile said in a press statement.
The veteran senator also said he has exercised the discretion of providing additional maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) “with prudence and equity.”
Enrile explained that every year, the Senate Secretariat and the Senate’s budget office determines how much savings can be allocated for the distribution of additional MOOE to the senators’ offices.
For the year-end of 2012, the Senate budget office reported that the available amount for MOOE was a total of P2.218 million for each senator.
The first tranche, Enrile said, was released in November with the amount of P600,000. All 23 senators received the said amount, he said.

“All the Senators, including those now complaining or calling it ‘unconscionable’ and ‘unconstitutional’ received these amounts. Yet they never said anything nor questioned it before,” Enrile said.
The balance of P1.6 million was then divided into two tranches of P1.3 million and P318,000 and were approved to be released before the Christmas holiday break, he said.
Four senators, namely, Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister, Pia, Antonio Trillanes IV and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, however, did not receive the remaining balance.
“While it is said to be purely discretionary on the part of the Senate President what additional budget to grant out of savings, or to give any at all for that matter, I have exercised such discretion with prudence and equity, and I have given the maximum that we could grant to all the Senators concerned. I stand by the exercise of my sole discretion not to authorize any further releases of additional MOOE last December to the 4 Senators. It is time to call a spade a spade,” Enrile said.

The Senate President said that while the Cayetano siblings and Senator Trillanes are members of the minority bloc, Senator Santiago’s membership in the majority is “questionable, to say the least” after she has repeatedly “attacked” Enrile, just like Trillanes.
To recall, Trillanes had a squabble with Enrile after the former questioned the leadership over a bill that sought to divide the province of Camarines Sur. Enrile then accused Trillanes of being a traitor after he disclosed notes of Trillanes’ meeting with former Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady in Beijing while he was acting as back-channel negotiator.
Santiago, meanwhile, earlier said that Enrile returned her gifts being one of the authors of the controversial reproductive health bill that Enrile strongly objected to.


Enrile also said the four senators who did not receive the second tranche of the additional MOOE hold chairmanship of Senate committees with annual budgets of P6 million to P15 million.
“The only thing I find humorous about this whole controversy is that I am being accused of ‘giving,’ albeit generously to most, but not as generously to a few...four to be exact,” he said.
Enrile also said that he gave out P250,000 checks from the savings of his office to all 23 senators as “pamasko.” Senator Santiago sent back the check

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile defends


whatever happened to this honorable senators ? too much squabbling and infighting in the senate is not good . better abloish the senate na lang kaha .

[Tirong-say]

” Senator Santiago sent back the check

If this is true then payouts did really happen,
we better chose wisely when May polls comes.

[lhorenzoo]

murag sayun sayunon na man lang nig panghatag kwarta no ? peoples money baya tawn ni .

[kit_cebu]

walay instant KARMA?

biliba nako aning mga tawhana....manimba pa sa ilang mga simbahan....maka-tulon uroy'g hustiyas ning mga pisti....

[reptoid]

Those at the top seem top do whatever they please. It's only illegal if you're a voter and if you complain about double-standards watch out for their self-serving libel laws.

[Rakizta]

Wa na gyuy mapili.rong maayong mga politiko siguro gamay na lang.nindota gyud masud sa.politika uy.

[kit_cebu]

Wa na gyuy mapili.rong maayong mga politiko siguro gamay na lang.nindota gyud masud sa.politika uy.

naa palang koy pamplete ug panggasto, labang ko laing nasod...wa lang...
antos trabaho, bayad tax para ma-enjoy ang mga politiko nato...
di raba madutlag gaba tungod na's kabaga...

[mio]

^^Si Gwen pa jud tawn ang na igo sa gaba. Hahay.

[hulagway]

sus ug si GMA pani ang ng hatag..g investigate na ni...

[ishmot0i]

hala ois..
yano-yano ra man nila ipanghatag a2ng kwarta nga gihagu-an..
hahais....