Cayetano hits back at 'He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named'

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Alan Cayetano responded to Senator Jinggoy Estrada who complained of being "singled out" in the investigation on the alleged multi-million pork barrel scam.

Referring to Estrada, Cayetano said a senator who delivered a privilege speech on Wednesday ranted of being always mentioned in the pork barrel scam investigation.

Cayetano refused to identify the senator and just labelled him as "He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named."

"Ang sinasabi kasi ni He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, eh na-condemn na daw siya ng media, na-condemn na siya ng committee na ito," Cayetano said during the televised hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday.

"Pero ang alam ko, welcome naman sila dito. At ang alam ko, iniinterview naman sila ng media pero ayaw nilang sagutin," he added.

Estrada has inhibited himself form the probe of the Blue Ribbon Committee.

In his privilege speech on Wednesday, Estrada blasted some of his colleagues and the Commission on Audit (COA) for only singling him out and Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.

He said other lawmakers were also mentioned in the COA report on the pork barrel but they are not receiving the same scrutiny.

"Bakit kaming tatlo lang ang iniimbistigahan? There is a saying: selective justice is injustice," Estrada said.

Read: Jinggoy feels 'singled out' in pork probe, cries 'injustice'

But Cayetano, a lawyer, said it is not easy to build a case, particularly against all those mentioned in the COA report.

Responding to Cayetano, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said if everyone in the COA report is charged at this point, many of the cases will be dismissed as they are still being built up.

De Lima also refuted Estrada's claim they are being singled out.

"I respectfully disagree with the contention of the honorable Senator Estrada that what we have is selective justice," De Lima said.

"How can we have selective justice when we are proceeding essentially, basically, fundamentally and principally on evidence that we are gathering and we have emphasized that the cases filed so far are just the first batch of these cases," she added.

De Lima said they will be filing charges to the other officials linked to the pork barrel and Malampaya fund scams.

Read: De Lima: More charges in PDAF, Malampaya scams in 2 weeks