MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano strongly lambasted Atty. Judd Roy’s statement indicating that the former (Cayetano) should apologized to latter on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
Atty. Judd Roy was the former counsel for impeached chief justice Renato Corona, who, according to the young legislator, is “guilty” of amassing unexplained wealth.
It can be remembered that last year (2012), the Senate sitting as impeachment court have declared the former Chief Justice guilty. With an overwhelming majority of Senators, 20-3, voted for the removal of Corona from office, most of them noting that the top magistrate no longer deserves his post. This makes Corona the first government official to be convicted by an impeachment court.
Cayetano said to Corona lawyer, “What apology? Your client is guilty, stop muddling the issue.” Cayetano further asserted “For the record, no apology was made and none is forthcoming. I did not – and will not – apologize to anyone for voting to impeach the former chief justice.”
Cayetano narrated that few weeks ago, he meet by chanced upon Atty. Roy at the Peninsula while he was out on a date with her wife, Lani. According to him, there was an exchange of pleasantries but there was “never” an apology of any kind.
Cayetano stoutly deplored Atty. Roy’s “lack of delicadeza” and his “cynical” attempt to twist a simple exchange of pleasantries and use it for his and his client’s political gains.
Cayetano called on Atty. Roy to “refrain” from muddling the circumstances surrounding the DAP issue. He added that currently, the Senate is in “RIP” mode (reveal, investigate, prosecute) against all kinds of corruption and they should not “blur the lines” any further.
The 20 senators who voted to convict Corona are: Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Frankin Drilon, Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Teofisto Guingona III, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Sergio Osmeña III, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel III, Ralph Recto, Ramon Revilla, Vicente Sotto III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Manuel Villar, and Senate President Enrile.
“Bottom line here is that Corona was found guilty by the Senate impeachment court because of his unexplained/undeclared wealth and he should be prosecuted for such crimes. Again, there was no apology of any kind and none is due,” Cayetano ended.
