Press Release
June 17, 2009

Pia renews call for Senate probe on 'Balikatan funds mess'

Senator Pia S. Cayetano today reiterated her call on the Senate to conduct an investigation into the revelations of Balikatan funds mess whistleblower Lt. Nancy Gadian, following the decision of the Court of Appeals to grant a writ of amparo to the embattled Navy officer.

"With the granting of the amparo petition, Lt. Gadian will now be more secure to testify and provide further details to support her accusation that her superiors had misused the funds intended for the 2007 Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games. The Senate should give her the opportunity to testify given the seriousness of the issue," she said.

Cayetano delivered a privilege speech last May 26 to call on the Senate to take custody of Lt. Gadian and call for a legislative probe on the Balikatan funds mess. She also filed Senate Resolution 1071 seeking a legislative inquiry on the issue.

"I see no reason why the Senate should shirk on its responsibility on this issue now, when it has boldly taken on similar issues of corruption before. This issue involves the possible malversation of funds for the Armed Forces of the Philippines that are appropriated and approved by Congress. On the other hand, the Balikatan exercises were made possible by the controversial RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which the Senate ratified ten years ago. So what's preventing the Senate from probing this controversy?"

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