Senators plot ouster move vs. Kara

Frustrated over failure to oust acting Attorney General Maya B. Kara, the Senate is expected to fire its most stinging attack to force even the governor to expel the embattled former House legal counsel from the crucial post.

Sources privy to high-level discussion in the Senate said there are strong indications that senators may have to nail Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio so that he will remove Kara and appoint another person in the position.

“Senators will not stop until they see her out,” a source said. “If they have to take drastic measures, then that’s what they will do.”

Another source, however, warned that future actions being considered will strain relations between legislators and administration officials, which have been affected slightly by bickering over the AG appointment.

Although he agreed that Tenorio is not likely to fire Kara despite strong Senate opposition, the source said some senators have expressed dismay that the chief government lawyer has ignored a recent move asking her resignation.

“Senators felt that this is a very arrogant stance on her part especially since they have expressed their sentiments even against her assuming the position in an acting capacity,” he said.

In its last session held December 17, the Senate adopted a committee report lashing out at Kara who drew its ire following allegations of conflict of interest and controversial AG decisions since her nomination last July.

Kara, who has repeatedly denied the charges, had said she would not step down unless Tenorio forces her out of office. The governor had expressed confidence on his choice, but hinted a wavering of position in his recent answers to reporters’ questions.

“For a person of her caliber, she should take the hint that the governor is leaving the decision for her to do the responsible thing,” a source pointed out. “And we wanted her to have a respectable and graceful exit.”

According to another source, senators may also step up pressure on Tenorio to act decisively on the matter and just replace Kara with another person despite potential in their relations.

They have “not begun to apply the pressure but we will if she continues to hold on to her job,” he pointed out.

The chief legal counsel of the House of Representatives for eight years prior to her appointment, Kara’s nomination had been bypassed twice at the Senate and was abruptly withdrawn last September when it was clear she would not have their approval. She has since held the AG on an acting capacity.