Senator Franklin Drilon yesterday called for the resignation of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Chief Superintendent Wilfredo Dulay - Western Visayas police director, and the members of the Regional Mobile Group for the siege on the Iloilo Capitol last week.

The 6th RMG men from Negros Occidental who entered the Iloilo Capitol on January 17 to serve a dismissal order on Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas, were headed by Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, former Bacolod police director.

"It was a showcase of police brutality that provoked outrage and condemnation all over the country. Those responsible must tender their resignations as soon as possible," Drilon said in a privilege speech delivered before the Senate yesterday.

Gonzalez, when reached for comment, told the DAILY STAR "I have no reaction, I serve at the pleasure of the President".

Five days ago, millions of Filipinos were shocked by the harshness and viciousness of the police team that assaulted the provincial capitol of Iloilo, Drilon said. And what was even more appalling was the absence of remorse and the brazen display of arrogance by Gonzalez and Puno when they praised and commended the assault team, he added.

Adding insult to injury, Gonzalez even claimed that the assault was all a charade and not a raid, Drilon said. If you buy Gonzalez's line, the January 17 afternoon "charade" was the most elaborate we have seen so far, with 200 battle-equipped policemen involved, Drilon said.

"The Iloilo Provincial Capitol assault was another example of the Arroyo administration's widely known callousness and complete disregard for human rights. It was an assault on Filipino sensibilities as well," Drilon said.

Millions of Filipinos watched the horrifying television footages of policemen smashing glass doors and destroying padlocked doors in an attempt to physically remove Governor Tupas from his office, and intimidate and harass members of his family and supporters who converged in the provincial capitol to support their beleaguered governor, Drilon said.

"It was indeed a vivid image of this administration's propensity to abuse power. The excessive show of force in broad daylight and documented by television cameras only showed that this administration has an utter disrespect for the rule of law and wanting in human empathy and decency," he said.

Drilon charged that Gonzalez, before the Capitol siege, had also been involved in the political harassment of Tupas.

Even if it is not in the mandate of the DOJ to conduct administrative investigations on elected local officials, Gonzalez ordered Governor Tupas and board members, Domingo Oso and Cecilia Capadosa to file their "verified comments" on the administrative complaint filed against them by Virgilio Sindico and Heptie Correa, he said.

Since the time Gov. Tupas and the two board members submitted their counter affidavits and evidence to refute the trumped-up charges against them, nothing has been heard about the case, Drilon said.

But on Dec. 4, 2006, the Ombudsman suddenly issued orders for the dismissal of Governor Tupas with the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification to hold public office, Drilon said. Gonzalez was the one who announced on air from January 14 to 15, that the dismissal order against Gov. Tupas was forthcoming, Drilon said.

What is puzzling in this case was the haste at which the Ombudsman's orders were executed by the DILG and the conspicuous involvement of Gonzalez, he said.

Under Section 60 of the Local Government Code of 1991, an elective official may be removed from office only by order of the proper court, Drilon said, stressing that the Ombudsman has no authority to do so. The move against Tupas, Drilon said, was clearly a politically-motivated act designed to remove all the impediments to the administration's political victory at the local level.

Drilon called on his colleagues in the Senate to also condemn in strongest possible terms the excessive force employed by the PNP team in Iloilo.

"The graphic images of policemen aiming their M-16 rifles at helpless and unarmed civilians reminded us of the despicable acts committed against the civilian population during the martial law period. Shades of martial law were evident in the attempt to drag the leftist groups into the issue. Using the alleged presence of leftist groups on the capitol grounds to justify the siege is utterly contemptible," Drilon said.

The spate of orders of dismissals of local government officials identified with the opposition --- Iloilo, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Pasay, Makati --- a few months shy of the national and local elections, demonstrated a grave abuse of power, Drilon said.

"Obviously, there is a deliberate attempt to silence dissenting voices in the local governments," he said.*CPG

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