SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday filed before the Valenzuela City Prosecutors’ Office cyber libel charges against Alfonso Cusi, former secretary of the Department of Energy, for allegedly besmirching his reputation and casting doubt on the investigation of the Senate committee of energy into the Malampaya gas project during the 18th Congress.
Gatchalian took offense to Cusi’s statement, which was posted in the website of the DOE on February 4, 2022, that the Senate committee hearings were based solely on speculation and hearsay propagated by certain business interests.
Gatchalian chaired the Senate committee on energy during the 18th Congress.
“Cusi’s statement is clearly defamatory and obviously intended to cause dishonor, discredit, or contempt not merely of my position as a senator of the Republic but more importantly, of my integrity as a public servant,” Gatchalian said.
He added that the integrity of the whole Senate as an institution was also put into question.
Sought for comment, Cusi simply said: “No comment.”
Cusi’s statement came after the Senate panel issued Resolution No. 137 which recommended the before the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of appropriate criminal and administrative charges against the former energy secretary in connection with the alleged irregularities that attended the sale of the shares of the Malampaya gas project.
In his February 4 statement, Cusi reacted to the committee’s recommendation. He said the sale of the shares of the Malampaya gas project “are legal, aboveboard and in accordance with the powers and mandate of the Department.”
“I am elated that this matter may now be brought before the proper legal forum where evidence, logic and reason are used as bases for determining whether or not an irregularity has been committed. That had not been the case at the committee hearing where innuendoes, speculation and hearsay propagated by certain business interests dictated the course of the so-called ‘investigation’,” Cusi said.
“It is unfortunate that, in the course of the committee hearings, Senator Gatchalian had chosen to lend his ear to those adversarial business interests. It was obvious in these hearings that Senator Gatchalian has sought to undermine the DOE’s ability to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the proposal covering the said sale of shares,” Cusi added. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
