Senators tell Yasay to quit for lying about citizenship

MANILA, Philippines - Senators want Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. to quit his post instead of being rejected by the Commission on Appointments (CA) and charged with perjury for allegedly concealing his US citizenship.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the CA committee on foreign affairs, said yesterday Yasay’s confirmation hearing was reset from tomorrow to next week as lawmakers consider what to do with him after he testified before the body last week that he was not a US citizen.

New documents showed Yasay was a US citizen until June 28 last year. He claimed before the CA that he had renounced his US citizenship in 1993.

“That (lying under oath) could be a cause for a complaint for perjury if it can be proven that he (Yasay) lied and the documents (showing US citizenship) are authentic,” Lacson said.

He said a CA rejection should be the least of Yasay’s worries as perjury is a criminal offense.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, both CA members, said Yasay’s confirmation remains uncertain because of the issue.

“As of now we’re still awaiting for proof, documentary proof that he’s a Filipino already,” Ejercito told reporters.

Asked whether it would be better for Yasay to quit, he said: “Probably, because it would be painful to have a rejection (by the CA).”

Ejercito said Yasay should be able to prove that he is a Filipino citizen as even his decisions made as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Estrada administration could cause problems.

New rules

Meanwhile, the CA will hold a plenary session today to vote on the new rules of the body to promote objectivity and fairness.

Sotto said among the proposed rules is the three-strike policy, wherein Malacañang should no longer submit the appointment of an official to the CA if he or she has been bypassed three times by the body.

Another is secret balloting, which will help CA members vote according to conscience and objectively without having to be pressured by lobby groups, he said.

Sotto revealed that the CA would expand the members of all committee members to ensure quorum during deliberations.