|
Manila: Philippine President Gloria Arroyo revoked a controversial order on Wednesday that had barred Cabinet members and other officials from testifying in a Senate probe into a corruption scandal that has hit her administration.
After a meeting with influential Roman Catholic bishops who have condemned the widespread graft in her government, Arroyo decided to revoke the order presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.
In a statement, Arroyo said she was revoking the order, meaning that officials could no longer invoke it "to excuse non-attendance from legislative inquiries."
Bunye added that Arroyo too seeks the truth, and has taken this measure to benefit the people.
Last week, the religious officials demanded Executive Order 464, which barred officials from being witnesses in the Senate probe without her approval, be scratched.
The bishops campaigned for Arroyo to deal with the issue, including removing restrictions that were hampering the investigation.
The head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, welcomed Arroyo's decision.
|
