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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Thursday, May 11, 2017
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MANILA – Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV admitted that there was “a lot” of lobbying for and against the confirmation of Gina Lopez’s appointment as Environment secretary.
As far as he was concerned, it did not involve financial support, said Aquino, one of the eight members of the Commission on Appointments (CA) who voted in favor of Lopez.
Senators Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Franklin Drilon, Vicente Sotto III, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Loren Legarda, and Manny Pacquiao also supported the ex-secretary’s appointment.
“May lobby na nangyari, noh. Personally wala namang perang in-offer sa ‘kin sa totoo lang. But of course lobbying on both sides. ‘Yung mga pro-environment groups or pro-Gina groups, nagpadala ng position papers. ‘Yung mga laban sa kanya nagpadala rin ng mga position paper so definitely, there was a lot of lobbying,” the senator said.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that “lobby money” influenced the decision to reject Lopez as chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The former DENR secretary also claimed that the 16 CA members – senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Gringo Honasan, Migz Zubiri, and Ping Lacson and Representatives Abraham Tolentino, Antonio Floirendo Jr., Benhur Salimbangon, Jerry Trenas, Joel Almario, Josephine Sato, Julieta Cortuna, Rodolfo Albano III, Ronaldo Zamora, Roy Loyola, Sandy Ocampo, and Wes Gatchalian – who voted against her confirmation prioritized “business interests” over public welfare.
Aquino believes that lobbying that uses money is “illegal.”
“In fairness to the other members of the CA, wala po tayong naririnig na may perang umikot. Again, kanya-kanyang boto kami dito e. We all have our votes, we all have our decisions, but at the end of the day, kailangan panindigan namin ‘yung mga desisyon na ‘yun,” he said.
According to him, those who voted against Lopez were on the receiving end of Duterte’s remark. “Sila ‘yung apektado dun sa statement ni President Duterte na ‘yun. Kami naman na pumabor kay secretary Lopez, ‘di kami apektado sa statement na ‘yan.”
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Wednesday explained that while Duterte previously mentioned “lobby,” this did not mean that CA members were paid to oust Lopez.
“The President reiterates that he does not doubt the integrity of the Senate and the House of Representatives… (He) remains faithful to his covenant of seeking justice for the wronged and the environment. He trusts that all branches of government share the same commitment,” Abella concluded./PN
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