Hontiveros, Tolentino clash as Risa asserts good faith on DA, SRA execs' actions on SO 4

Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Francis Tolentino and Senator Risa Hontiveros got into a heated exchange on Tuesday after the opposition lawmaker asserted good faith on the actions of agriculture and Sugar Regulatory Administration officials involved in the issuance of the controversial Sugar Order No. 4.

During the Senate session, Hontiveros interpellated Tolentino on the Blue Ribbon's report which recommended administrative and criminal charges against suspended Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, former SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica, and former Board members Roland Beltran and Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr.

Consistent with the minority report on the investigation, Hontiveros argued that good faith can be used as defense by individuals who are accused of actions that they did not commit.

"'Wag naman po sana natin na good faith can be negated. Minsan po kapag po 'yung mga posibleng inosente ay inaakusahan ng mga krimen na posibleng hindi naman nila ginawa, minsan po, Mr. President, good faith na lang 'yung huling depensa nila at 'wag naman po sana nating ipagkait 'yon sa kanila," she said.

At the latter part of the interpellation, Tolentino lauded the minority bloc for coming up with a substantial report but explained that the majority bloc's report will always prevail over the one that was released by the minority.

He also mentioned that they are "deluged" with new sounding terms such as "badges of good faith."

"In my entire law study, there are badges of fraud, badges of bad faith but not badges of good faith," Tolentino said.

Hontiveros then cited several Supreme Court jurisprudence that could be a legal basis for good faith as a defense of the accused.

"With all due respect, the Supreme Court itself used the phrase 'badges of good faith' in the September 2020 case of Madera vs Commission on Audit, in the October 2020 case of De Guzman vs Commission on Audit, and in the November 2020 case of SSS vs. Commission on Audit," she said.

"Of course, Mr. President, these cases are quite new so we should not fault the chair if he does not know of these new cases," she added.

Tolentino cut Hontiveros short to manifest that he takes offense to the latter's remark.

"I take offense, Mr. President, to that attribution...My lack of knowledge should not be implicated here. I have a law exam on Tuesday so I am still a law student right now. Perhaps your staff are not the law students here," he said.

Hontiveros tried to explain that there was no offense meant, adding that she is not a lawyer herself.

Tolentino then moved to delete Hontiveros' remarks from the records, to which Risa did not object.

But a visibly agitated Tolentino went on and said: "If there is an incumbent student here, I am the one."

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri suspended the session to pacify the senators.

Upon the resumption of session, Hontiveros reiterated that she does not object to the deletion of her remarks from the Senate records and apologized if Tolentino was offended by her statement.

"I'm sorry that I caused offense to the good chair. I just wish to assure, Mr. President and the colleagues, no offense meant. I was simply saying that we should not fault anyone if [they are] not yet aware of these new facts. I just want to reassure that there is a legal basis for usage [of the phrase]," she said.

After this, the interpellation on the Senate blue ribbon committee report was suspended.—AOL, GMA News