Former Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Ace Barbers has raised serious doubts over the exclusion of a specific lawmaker’s name from a list of alleged cash-luggage recipients read by Senator Rodante Marcoleta during a disputed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Thursday.
Barbers asserted that a prominent individual named in the original affidavit was conspicuously left out when Marcoleta read the list to the public.
“Either the list given to him has been sanitized, or he did not mention the name deliberately, as their group is in good symbiotic company with those he did not mention,” Barbers said.
According to the former congressman, a joint affidavit signed by 18 individuals claiming to be former employees of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co explicitly included Senator Loren Legarda among the alleged recipients.
Barbers emphasized that Legarda is a member of the Senate bloc currently aligned with Marcoleta and led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.
“The selection of names mentioned for character assassination purposely did not include Senator Loren Legarda, who is now aligned with the Cayetano / Marcoleta group. Maybe they have five million reasons for not including and mentioning her name anymore. Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.
Condemning the assembly, Barbers accused the organizers of utilizing the hearing for partisan political motives rather than conducting a fair and objective legislative review.
“At least we can now clearly see that they were not engaged in an impartial investigation in aid of legislation but in exoneration in aid of destabilization. Maliwanag na maliwanag, destabilization playbook ang sinusunod nila,” he added.
The former lawmaker further maintained that the true objectives behind the controversial gathering have now been fully exposed.
“The purpose of the bogus assembly of the Cayetano/Marcoleta and company is now as clear as day,” Barbers said. “Clear their allies and destroy the enemy at all costs. Nevermind if the Palace and the House of Representatives have recognized the legitimacy of the Gatchalian-led Senate majority of 12 against the Cayetano 10 that even a grade 1 pupil understands,” he added.
Barbers also condemned the conduct of the inquiry, pointing out various instances that supposedly mirrored an orchestrated and biased proceeding from beginning to end.
“While a congressional investigation in aid of legislation must be impartial, kitang kita nyo naman mula sa pag escort sa entrance, sa tulakan, sa guided question and answer portion hanggang sa paglabas ng mga alleged ‘resource persons’, na tumayo pa sina Senators Cayetano at Marcoleta habang kinakamayan isa isa ang mga mistulang graduates na nakapila palabas ng kwarto. Actions indeed speak louder than words. Kayo na ang humusga,” Barbers stressed.