Ruby faces Senate: I will just tell the truth

MANILA, Philippines - As she faces Senate grilling today on the pork barrel fund scam, potential state witness Ruby Tuason has promised to “just tell the truth” and accept whatever follows.

This was all Tuason would say when asked if she was prepared to stand before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to shed light on the pork barrel fund scam allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Tuason had earlier confessed to having delivered huge kickbacks from pork-funded projects to Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile.

The former social secretary of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada declined to talk further to media yesterday.

But according to her lawyer Dennis Manalo, she is ready to face the senators and even implicate more names in the embezzlement of congressional pork barrel, officially called Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

“I think my assessment of Mrs. Tuason is that she has accepted her fate. And she has made this bold step of testifying not only before the DOJ (Department of Justice), NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), and Ombudsman, not only before the Senate, but the before the Filipino people. It takes courage to do that,” Manalo said.

Tuason had admitted working as agent for Napoles from 2004 to 2008.

Manalo said it was not easy for Tuason to come out in the open after months in hiding in the US, considering possible public humiliation or even risk to her life.

“Her life is virtually under a microscope. She will expect that she will hear all sorts of criticisms from other people. She is just determined to accept and ready to move forward to what she believes is the truth,” Manalo said.

He said Tuason draws strength from prayers and the encouragement of her family, particularly her children.

“They have been very encouraging and they are doing their best to support their mother in this very challenging endeavor,” Manalo said.

Tuason, along with pork scam whistle-blowers Benhur Luy, Baby Sula, Merlina Suñas and Arlene Baltazar, attended a case conference at the NBI yesterday.

It was her first time to come face to face with the whistle-blowers since her arrival from the US last Friday.

Just like in last Monday’s meeting with Luy, Tuason yesterday compared notes with the whistle-blowers.

After the conference, which lasted for an hour, they proceeded to the NBI chapel to hear Mass.

‘Only the truth’

Only the truth is what the nation wants to hear from Tuason in her Senate appearance today, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said. 

He said there is a high level of public interest in the controversy because it involves a staggering amount of taxpayers’ money.

But while the administration is keen on seeing those involved in the PDAF scam get punished, Coloma said President Aquino wants the investigation into the matter done fairly.

Coloma said the DOJ would continue to gather more data and information to back up its case, especially now that Estrada’s wife, Luisa or Loi, is also being linked to the anomaly.

However,  Coloma stressed “no one is being singled out.”

In Dagupan City, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said his Blue Ribbon committee was about to move to the Malampaya fund controversy after hearing the PDAF scam when Tuason surfaced to confirm Enrile’s and Estrada’s involvement in the anomaly.

Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vicente Sotto III, for their part, downplayed reports that they would also be linked to the PDAF scam.

Actor linked to scam

The NBI also said it is looking into the possible involvement of actor Mat Ranillo III in the pork barrel scam.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Luy and Tuason said it was Ranillo who had introduced Napoles to some senators.

“That (Ranillo’s involvement) is now being looked into. It is in fact our duty to do that since there are some new (pieces of) information being provided by this new whistle-blower that we have to pursue,” De Lima told reporters in an ambush interview.

Luy told the NBI that Ranillo and Napoles later had a falling out when the latter chose to bypass him in her dealings with the senators.

Based on Luy’s accounts, De Lima said Napoles and  Ranillo even had money transactions.

“The first transaction that was cancelled was with Mat Ranillo. And if you can recall, there is this civil case involving recovery of sums of money in relation to certain transactions from where we got a proof that there were indeed vouchers used in the transactions of Napoles,” De Lima said.

Tuason also mentioned in her affidavit that Ranillo had facilitated a transaction between Napoles and Jinggoy. Tuason said the transaction was “consummated through a certain Mr. Matt Ranillo showing the delivery of the sum of P11,970,000 to a house at No. 1564 Mahogany Street, Dasmariñas Village, Makati City.”

She said the house was owned by Justa Tantoco. The latter would also be included in the investigation, according to De Lima.

Tantoco is reportedly the former chief aide of Estrada’s mother, former first lady and senator Loi Ejercito.

There is no official affidavit yet implicating the former first lady in the scam, the DOJ chief said.

“I haven’t seen a new affidavit from Benhur, although it was mentioned earlier that there seemed to be dealings before but I haven’t seen any written report or affidavit from Benhur,” she said.

“Recently, there is a statement on this but for me it has to be official, through a sworn statement. It cannot just be a verbal statement. I have to see something in writing,” she explained.   

Bail plea junked

Meanwhile, Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 upheld yesterday its rejection of Napoles’ plea for bail in connection with the serious illegal detention case filed against her by Luy.

Clerk of court Diosfa Valencia said Judge Elmo Alameda denied Napoles’ motion for reconsideration of the court’s Nov. 21 decision to deny Napoles’ request that she be allowed to post bail.

“There were no new matters presented by the accused. The motion for reconsideration was denied considering that the prosecution was able to prove its case based on evidence,” Valencia said. – With Edu Punay, Mike Frialde, Aurea Calica, Eva Visperas, Christina Mendez