Senators want to grill new 'pork' scam witness

MANILA, Philippines - Senators on Friday asked the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to invite Technology Resource Center (TRC) deputy director Dennis Cunanan at the resumption of the pork barrel scam hearing.

Sen. Grace Poe said that she would want to question Cunanan on his supposed knowledge in the anomaly.

Senators Chiz Escudero and Nancy Binay also wanted the hearings to resume so that the committee can look into issues about the other anomaly involving the non-government organizations (NGO), which were not linked to Janet Lim Napoles but are cited in the special audit report.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, meanwhile, said he believes that the Blue Ribbon Committee had gathered enough information to craft legislation.

As this developed, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III challenged the justice department to give an ultimatum to the other personalities who may want to apply as state witness in the pork barrel scam.

Pimentel, also a lawyer, said that it would look like that government prosecutors may not have enough evidence to pin down those who may have misused their pork barrel funds because they kept on calling on other witnesses to come out.

“I will urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Ombudsman to fast track now the acceptance of application to be state witness. They should put a deadline if they really believe that they already have strong evidence,” Pimentel said.

Once the ultimatum is given, Pimentel said the DOJ should not hesitate in pursuing all the other personalities tagged in the scam.

“That is a show of confidence, contrary to insisting on calling for witnesses to come out. Are they indirectly admitting that their case is still weak?,” Pimentel added.

Pimentel said the deposition or affidavits of would-be state witness are eventually submitted to the DOJ for their preliminary review.

“Kung uulitin mo lang ang sinasabi nila or kung uulitin mo lang an sinabi ng iba, cite mo lang ang ledger na gawa ni Benhur Luy, ano pala na-contribute mo? 'Di nakalaya ka pa? That is a misapplication of the rule on discharging of witnesses,” Pimentel said.

Cunanan applied for state witness after Ruby Tuason, former social secretary of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, came out and testified about the allged involvement of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile in the pork barrel scam.

Rhodora Mendoza and Victor Roman, former officials of the National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor), have expressed willingness to also turn as witnesses for the goverment.

The two Nabcor officials, Cunanan and Tuason are also respondents in the plunder and malversation charges filed by the Department of Justice before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam.

In the case of Tuason, Pimentel is giving credit that she had cited some personal instances about her dealings with Estrada and Enrile.

He said testimonies should be used "to catch and big and biggest fish."

The senator said that so far Janet Lim Napoles appears to be the biggest fish in the pork barrel scam.

“The law and the rules do not allow you to release the biggest fish to catch the smaller fish. So ang pag-asa na lang ni Napoles, during trial, meron new facts na lumabas na hindi pala talaga siya ang biggest fish, then she can apply so that the bigger fish can be caught,” the senator said.