Senate ready for Napoles testimony

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate is all set for the appearance of alleged pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles at the chamber on Thursday.

Blue Ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III gave the assurance after denying the request of Sen. Sergio Osmeña III to reset the hearing upon the resumption of Congress on Nov. 18.

“The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will push through with its Nov. 7 hearing with Ms. Janet Lim-Napoles and the whistle-blowers. The hearing will start at 10 a.m.,” Guingona said.

Jose Balajadia, Senate sergeant-at-arms, said security preparations are underway to ensure the safety of Napoles, whom they described as a high profile personality.

While the Senate security personnel will be strictly implementing security measures, Balajadia said the police unit securing Napoles would not be allowed to bring their firearms inside Senate premises, especially in the session hall.

“I don’t like the Senate to look like a garrison. Ever since, you never see uniformed men inside the Senate. We, only in the Senate, are allowed to carry weapons,” Balajadia said.

Apart from Napoles, the whistle-blowers will also be given security.

Balajadia said they have considered a possible assassination attempt as among the possible worst case scenarios with Napoles attending the Senate hearing on the alleged misuse of the pork barrel fund or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.

“So far, the worst case scenario is assassination... the predator and the prey, but inside the Senate, since we practically covered all areas, all ideas, anything that may have to be done to assassinate anybody, we have our moves, our contingencies,” he said.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had filed plunder charges against Napoles, Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr., and several congressmen.

Others facing criminal charges for graft and misusing the PDAF included staff members of the three senators and officers of government corporations that served as conduits of pork barrel funds that ended up with bogus foundations Napoles had allegedly set up.

The three senators allegedly received some P581 million in kickbacks from Napoles foundations.

Balajadia admitted that the Senate has not received any threat on Napoles or the whistle-blowers. He said the Senate would only secure Napoles upon arrival at Senate premises.  

The Philippine National Police (PNP) would secure Napoles from her detention cell at Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna to the Senate.

“The PNP will continue to secure Napoles during her stay inside the Senate premises; remember... they were with Luy all the way. But they have to follow our security measures, as what we did to Luy,” Balajadia explained, referring to whistle-blower Benhur Luy now under the witness protection program.

Balajadia said the public would be allowed to watch the Senate proceedings on a first come, first served basis.

The PNP will also be augmenting the Senate security outside the gates as part of crowd control management in case of pocket protests.

An air-conditioned room at the Senate’s basement will be ready if there is a need for Napoles to be locked up during the hearing.

A congressman urged Napoles to tell the truth about accusations that she gave scores of senators and congressmen kickbacks and commissions in exchange for billions in pork barrel funds.

“She should bare all because the truth will set her free. She should name names,” Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Dasmariñas City in Cavite said.

The Senate has subpoenaed Napoles to appear in its hearing on the pork barrel scam on Thursday.

Barzaga said if Napoles tells the truth, she would be able to clear up the controversy on the pork barrel scam, which President Aquino has claimed was being muddled by his critics.

“The country right now may be considered in chaos because of the pork barrel, Malampaya, even the DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) issue. She should bare all to save the country,” he said.

He said the testimony of Napoles could strengthen the plunder and other criminal cases the NBI and pork barrel scam whistle-blowers have filed with the Office of the Ombudsman against three senators and more than 30 other individuals.

He pointed out that the Senate has the power to give Napoles immunity from prosecution if she tells the truth.

Osmeña, vice chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, has raised the possibility of giving the suspected pork barrel scam brains immunity from prosecution.

“I want her to tell the truth – who are the senators and congressmen she bribed,” he said.

Napoles is widely expected to invoke her right against self-incrimination or right to privacy. But some senators have vowed to extract as much information as they could from her, saying there are many ways of skinning a cat. – With Jess Diaz, Evelyn Macairan, Mike Frialde