Press Release
December 11, 2008

Bolante vows to appear next Senate probe - Gordon

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today said he is taking former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante's word that the latter would appear before the next Senate investigation on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam scheduled on Dec. 17.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said Bolante gave him assurance that he will attend the next hearing even if he is no longer under the Senate's protective custody.

"Before the hearing ended, I asked Mr.. Bolante if he can assure the Committee that he would attend the next hearing. He said he would, and I am taking his word. That has been put on record," he said.

Bolante has been released from the Senate's custody on Wednesday night after formal charges had been filed against him at the Department of Justice for violations of Articles 150 (disobedience to summons) and 183 (false testimony) of the Revised Penal Code.

At the last hearing, Gordon also turned down Bolante's request to be excused from the next hearing on Dec. 17 in order that he can attend to his mother-in-law whom he claimed is ill and needs medical attention.

The blue ribbon chairman immediately rejected Bolante's excuse, stressing that he (Bolante) was still under oath when he assured that he would come back for the next hearing on the fertilizer fund scam.

"He said he was going to come back. He is still under oath and he is required to come back here. I hope he will not get lost; he cannot even visit his mother in law on Dec. 17. I rejected that because I do not want him to give any excuse whatsoever," Gordon said.

Gordon also said he will not hesitate to punish Mr. Bolante for contempt should the latter fail to present himself to the succeeding Senate hearings. "We can cite him again in contempt and we can arrest him if he doesn't show up in the next hearing," he added.

According to him, Bolante was released from the Senate's custody pursuant to the contempt order the committee issued last Dec. 3.

Under the order of contempt, Bolante would be released from detention at the Senate once he purges himself of contempt or charges have been filed before the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman.

"The contempt order, which the committee members signed, states that when the case has been filed, we have to release him. So that is what we have to do, to release him. Mr. Bolante did not purge himself of contempt. But now he has to purge himself in court," Gordon said.

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