MANILA, (PNA) — In an unsolicited advice to President Benigno S. Aquino III, former Constabulary chief Maj. Gen. Ramon E. Montaño on Saturday proposed to the Chief Executive the appointment of former Senator Rene Saguisag as anti-crime czar that will lead in the prosecution of big time grafters.
In an interview with the Philippines News Agency followed up with a couple of text messages, Montaño described Saguisag as the “right person” that will take charge in the prosecution of corrupt officials in government who are in cahoots with criminal syndicates in the country.
He vouched the integrity of Saguisag who as a former senator is also a respected lawyer.
Saguisag was one of the two prominent lawyers of the late opposition Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr., father of incumbent President Nonoy Aquino, when the former was tried by a military court when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in September 1972.
The other lawyer who defended Ninoy was former Sen. Joker Arroyo.
The former Constabulary brass said the main job of Saguisag crime czar is to coordinate with various cabinet secretaries in a no-nonsense fight against graft and corruption in their respective departments.
Montaño proposed his unsolicited advice to the President in view of the wave of alleged irregularities in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) commonly referred to as pork barrel allocations of senators and congressmen that were reportedly siphoned to non-existent non-government organizations (NGOs).
The pork barrel scam pointed to businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles as the alleged mastermind.
The scam had defrauded the government in a whooping sum of P10 billion over a 10-year period.
Since the anomalous deals were exposed in the media, it has grabbed the headlines the past few months to date.
Mrs. Napoles has been under police custody since she surrendered to President Aquino the other week.
In his unsolicited proposal, Montaño said appointing a crime czar is not a new idea.
“If I recall during the Dadong Macapagal administration (1961-1965) then Secretary of Justice Jose Diokno directed and orchestrated all government agencies in dismantling the Harry Stonehill criminal empire until then untouchable due to corruption of public officials,” Montaño said in a text message to this writer.
Montaño added: “We were young lieutenants then in the PC and we were impressed by Sec. Diokno’s uncompromising pursuit of the rich.”
“During the first term of President Marcos this dictum was pursued by Executive Secretary Rafael Salas as Chairman of the National Peace and Order Council,” he said.
“Even during the early days of martial law, the arrests of powerful politicians, Marcos’ cronies and their businessmen allies signaled positive vibes to the professional and idealistic ranks in the military and police. But when the martial law administrators and their businessmen cronies were getting away with their own crimes, then the honorable members of our Criminal Justice System joined the people at EDSA 1986 to seek justice for all,” Montaño.
Montaño was known for his no-nonsense drive against criminality, busting crime syndicates after crime syndicates when he was still in the active military and police service.
He ran for senator as an independent candidate in the May election this year but lost.