Orbos: No politics behind narco list
FORMER Transportation Undersecretary
Thomas Orbos slammed the Celestes (Jesus and Arthur) for claiming that politics
was behind the inclusion of Rep. Jesus Celeste in the list of narco politicians
made public by President Rodrigo Duterte last week.
“I don’t think it was politically motivated,” said Orbos in a talk to
newsmen where he also called for an investigation of the Regional Peace
and Order Council 1 (RPOC 1) for clearing Celeste and two mayors of La
Union ahead of the release of the president of the narco list.
“First of all”, he said, “it is quite baffling why RPOC came out
with the clearance of the three (Celeste and Mayors Reynaldo Flores of
Naguilian and Eulogio Clarence Martin de Guzman III of Bauang) ahead of the
announcement by the president? Second, why was this released
to the media immediately? That should be investigated,” he said.
Rep. Celeste is not running for reelection but his brothers Arthur and Noli are
running for governor and congressman (Orbos’ opponent in First District)
respectively.
Orbos stressed that there was no politics because the Celestes, citing their
close alliances with Gov. Imee Marcos, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
and Secretary Raul Lambino, administrator of the Cagayan Economic Zone
Development Authority, who are all close to the president.
“Tanggalin na ho natin ang pulitika
dyan. Dadaan muna ho yan sa husgado,” said Orbos, adding that this is
a good opportunity for all those in the list to prove themselves innocent.
He believes that there are sufficient documents in the hands of the president
for the latter to file cases against the suspected narco politicians.
He expressed confidence that Celeste can soon be off the hook if he
tells the investigators how he has accumulated his wealth, where did he get the
money to put up a hotel and other property.
“If he can explain it well, then that’s it. It is the end of the
story,” he said.
He told Celeste not to fear the investigation that will be conducted on him
because when one is under investigation, it doesn’t mean he is already guilty.
Orbos said that as former public servant, (he was also MMDA administrator)
he and his peers were constantly under investigation daily as higher
authorities are auditing their work regularly, and had no reason to
complain because they accepted this when they joined public service. (Leonardo
Micua)
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