Senator Joker Arroyo puts down proclamation as like Famas award night



By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter

Manila--- Sen. Joker Arroyo on Thursday likened the proclamation rites of 10 winning senators to a “Famas award” night, with election officials as presentors and leading men.

Arroyo snubbed the affair held Wednesday evening at the Philippine International Convention Center, but denied it was because his friend Sen. Ralph Recto lost in the election.

“I initially watched the ceremony on TV but I stopped when the Famas award started,” he said, in reference to the awards handed out by the Filipino Academy for Movie Arts and Sciences. “The senators were made to look like award winners and were even given plaques.”

Arroyo expressed his displeasure at getting proclaimed by Commission on Elections officials whose resignation he had demanded. He was referring to Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason who were among those who approved the MegaPacific contract.

An investigation by the Senate blue-ribbon headed by Arroyo considered the Comelec contract with MegaPacific for the automation of the 2004 election highly anomalous, overpriced and grossly disadvantageous to the government. The Senate ratified the committee report which called, among other things, for the resignation of all Comelec officials involved. “Imagine, I’ll be going there and I’ll meet those guys whose resignation I have sought!” Arroyo said.

The Comelec officials had delayed the proclamation ceremony as they waited for Arroyo to show up.

“They merely want to give drama to the affair,” Arroyo quipped.

He also criticized the Comelec officials for posing for pictures with the newly proclaimed senators.

“Parang star-struck! [It was as if they were star-struck]” he said. He said the personal appearance of the proclaimed senators was not needed at all.

“In the past, my proclamation papers were just sent to me by an election registrar,” he said.



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