Miriam dares Jinggoy to name senators approached by Tuason

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Thursday challenged Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to identify the other senators who may have transacted with potential state witness Ruby Tuason in relation to getting kickbacks out of approved pork barrel projects in recent years.

Santiago said that Estrada will improve his credibility once he name names and backs his claims with evidence.

“Yes, because it places us all in a cloud, and it is not fair to those who are not implicated. And it also will prove he is in good faith when he makes statements like this, when he makes general statements and then backs them up with specific details. It will improve his credibility,” Santiago said.

Santiago, who grilled Tuason when she attended the Blue Ribbon hearing last week, noted that there is a “direct collision” on statements of Tuason and Estrada during the last hearing on the pork barrel scam.

“There is a direct collision between the testimony of Ms. Ruby Tuason and the statement of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada,” she said.

Santiago recalled that Tuason admitted having approached only two senators--Senate minority leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Estrada--because they are the only ones whom she personally knew.

During the hearing last week, Tuason testified that she did not approach other senators to facilitate the release of funds for their pork barrel projects.

“Now, Sen. Estrada is saying Ms. Tuason also approached other senators. So there is a direct conflict,” Santiago noted. However, such conflicts can only be resolved under the court of law, not on legislative hearings, the senator said.

Estrada has called on his colleagues to come clean on their ties with Tuason at the height of the word war with Blue Ribbon chairman Teofisto Guingona III. Estrada has accused Guingona of prejudging the pork barrel case because of his description of Tuason's testimony as a “buzzer-beater, three-point and winning shot.”

“By contraindication, Ms. Tuason is one of the persons who have applied for state witness, so she cannot be expected to give all, but only what she thinks will make the government approve her application for state witness, meaning to say she will be acquitted in the complaint sheet to be filed in the Sandiganbayan,” she said.

“I would say that I would tend to place my presumption on Sen. Estrada. I wish he would do it as soon as possible,” Santiago said.