Press Release
May 22, 2009

ROXAS VOWS COMMITMENT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE, REFORMS

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today reiterated his commitment to truth, justice and reforms as he vowed to continue the nation's quest for the truth behind numerous government anomalies involving high-ranking officials.

"Kaisa natin si Senador (Antonio) Trillanes at si General (Danny) Lim sa kanilang laban para sa katotohanan at katarungan, sa kapakanan ng ating kasundaluhan at ang tunay na mga pagbabao sa ating Sandatahang Lakas," Roxas said after visiting detained Senator Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim at their detention room in Camp Crame on Friday.

"Nakipagkuwentuhan tayo, lalong-lalo na sa ngayon na mainit itong isyu ng anomalya sa military. Kaya ginusto ko malaman ang pananaw ni Trillanes at ni Gen. Lim dahil ipinaglalaban nila ang tuwid at tapat na pamamahala sa gobyerno, lalo na sa military," he added.

Lim, former head of the Army's 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, and Trillanes are detained at Camp Crame for their involvement in the 2007 Manila Peninsula incident that aimed to topple the government.

Roxas insisted that unless government works to stamp out unbridled corruption in government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the nation's dream of justice and massive reforms in government would never be enforced.

He lamented that the AFP, as well as the Philippine National Police, has been so politically corrupted that even its active high-ranking officials have been dragged into numerous questionable or illegal multi-million peso contracts.

"Ang paglaban para sa katotohanan, katarungan at ang tama ay kunektado sa ating laban para baguhin ang mali sa ating pamahalaan, at ito naman ay kunetado din sa mga nais nating pagbabago sa ating Sandatahang Lakas," the Visayan senator said.

He said the AFP could begin reforms in its corrupt system by giving protection to beleaguered Philippine Navy Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gadian, the whistleblower on an alleged P46 million fund mess involving the RP-US Balikatan joint exercises.

Amid reports that Gadian is being harassed by his superiors for implicating Navy officials in the mess, Roxas urged the military leadership to instead provide protection to the whistleblower to encourage other witnesses to come out and spill the truth.

"Kailangan bigyan proteksyon ang mga whistleblowers na ito dahil may mga laman ang mga sinasabi nila at kung ninanais ng gobyerno natin at ng panguluhan ng military na malaman ang buong katotohanan dito ay dapat kupkupin nila ang mga whistleblowers," he said.

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