Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday advised Commission on Higher Education chairman Romulo Neri to follow the politics of truth, by not allowing himself to be a party to the cover-up of venalities in government, a press release from Pimentel’s office said.

Pimentel said Neri should not cling to his position under an administration which has lost the trust and support of the people.

He also criticized Neri for his appeal to political leaders to declare a one-year of “social peace” to spare President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from public fury over her misrule and abuse of power, the press release said.

“Instead of lecturing political leaders on what to do, Secretary Neri should try the politics of truth starting with himself and his chief puppeteer in Malacañang,” the senator added.

Nobody in his right mind will take Neri’s misplaced advice seriously and he has no business giving such advice after he had allegedly said that Mrs. Arroyo is “evil” and has lost her moral right to lead the nation.

Pimentel said Neri should have resigned from the Arroyo Cabinet a long time ago. In the first place, Neri is not qualified to head the CHED to which he was transferred after being yanked out by the President as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority in July, 2007 in the wake of the national broadband scandal, Pimentel also said.*

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