Press Release
February 11, 2013

MIRIAM CALLS FOR SENATE PROBE OF ENRILE'S BOOK

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, a former RTC judge, said that when Congress begins session this July, she will file a resolution for the Senate to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on what she called the "the brazen false claims" made by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile in his voluminous memoir formally launched last year.

Santiago issued the statement after Yahoo! News published last Friday, 8 February, a news item headlined "Senate Candidate Ramon Montaño: Enrile Lying in his book."

During an interview, Montaño reportedly said of Enrile's book: "I (didn't finish) reading it because it was full of lies."

The news item went on: "Montaño, who went with Enrile to break away from the chain of command during the crucial years of martial law, said the Senate President made up details on his supposed ambush in his book."

In his memoir, Enrile claimed that he was ambushed while going home to Dasmariñas Village in 1972, thus laying the basis for the proclamation of martial law. After the end of martial law and under the administration of Pres. Corazon Aquino, Montaño was appointed Philippine National Police chief. He headed a team tasked to probe the alleged ambush. The team issued a report that the ambush was faked.

"This is one of the major variance from history," Montaño reportedly said.

In the same interview, Montaño claimed that Enrile merely pretended to support Pres. Cory in the 1986 snap elections. But Montaño added that after Pres. Cory won, Enrile revealed his true colors by insisting that Pres. Cory should not be installed as president, but instead should be replaced by a military junta led by Enrile himself.

Enrile reportedly backed down, when the military pointed out that the Filipino public would reject Enrile, because Pres. Cory had already been declared the winner.

Santiago, who has always insisted for many years that Enrile faked his own ambush, said that Enrile may have committed any of the several crimes punishable by the Penal Code, such as unlawful use of means of publication, falsification by public officer of a document, or falsification by private individual.

The crime of unlawful use of means of publication is committed by any person who by any means of publication shall publish as news, any false news which may cause damage to the interest of the State.

The crime of falsification of document by public officer is committed by causing it to appear that persons have participated in any act or proceeding when they did not in fact so participate; or by making untruthful statements in a narration of facts.

The crime of falsification by a private individual is committed by any person who, to the damage of a third party, shall in any private document commit acts of falsification.

"Whatever the crime, the basic rule is that the accused should have violated public faith and destroyed the truth, as decided by the Supreme Court in the 1985 case of Gamido, and the separate case of Sabiano," Santiago said.

"The Enrile book caused a scandal because his claims have no relation to political reality. But the scandal will be finally settled when Gen. Montaño appears in a Senate hearing. He has already told me that regardless of the Senate campaign results, he is willing to testify in a public hearing and affirm his statements against Enrile. The rule in evidence will apply to Enrile: false in one thing, false in all things. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus," she said.

Santiago, who has been on sick leave for hypertension and bone marrow disorder, will make a public appearance for the first time when she delivers a speech tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12, at the UP Manila.

As an expert in international law, Santiago will discuss, among others, the consequences in international law of the Tubbataha Reef event.

Reference: Yahoo! News from Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Newsroom - 8 February2013
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/senate-candidate-ramon-montaño--enrile-lying-in-his-book-134907161.html

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