No easy way out for potential ‘pork’ scam witnesses – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - The government is not providing an easy way out for some of those charged in connection with the pork barrel scam by getting them as state witnesses, Malacañang clarified yesterday.

At the same time, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said even administration allies implicated in the controversy are expected to cooperate in the investigation, including resigned Customs commissioner Ruffy Biazon and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general Joel Villanueva.

Biazon was among those charged in the second batch of cases, while it was the first time for Villanueva to be dragged into the controversy.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said former Technology Resource Center (TRC) director general Dennis Cunanan mentioned the two.

Cunanan had been accepted as a “provisional state witness” for the pork barrel scam cases and covered by the Witness Protection Program.

Malacañang had denied accusations that it was behind Cunanan’s decision to offer himself as state witness.

Valte said President Aquino only wanted the truth to come out, and for the investigation to go wherever the evidence would lead.

She said it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to gather evidence and evaluate the witnesses and this should not give an impression that they were giving those accused of misusing or pocketing public funds an opportunity to save themselves by testifying against certain individuals.

Valte said the two former officials of the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), who were also tagged into the pork barrel scam, had expressed willingness to become state witnesses. She said they would have to be evaluated by the DOJ.

Levito Baligod, the legal counsel of whistle-blowers led by Benhur Luy, said the two new potential state witnesses were former Nabcor officials Rhodora Mendoza and Victor Roman.

The two were also among the former government officials charged by the DOJ with plunder, malversation of public funds and other cases before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam.

Valte said De Lima has made it clear that not everyone volunteering to become witnesses would be taken in.

She said a careful evaluation of the testimonies must be done, as well as their impact on the pending cases and the existing evidence.

As De Lima has repeatedly explained, Valte said there was no reason for the DOJ to accept those that would have nothing valuable to contribute to boost the cases.

Cunanan revealed that Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada personally endorsed and lobbied for the bogus non-government organizations put up by Napoles.

Cunanan, along with Revilla, Estrada and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, are respondents in the plunder and malversation complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against dozens of individuals linked to the pork barrel scam.

Another respondent – Ruby Tuason – had also been provisionally allowed to turn state witness after admitting to having delivered millions of pesos in kickbacks to Estrada and Enrile, the latter through his then chief of staff Gigi Reyes.

As to the alleged involvement of Enrile, Cunanan said it’s Reyes who made the transactions. He said he had never personally communicated with Enrile.

In the case of Villanueva, Valte said there was no basis at this time to say whether he should go on leave.

Blacklisted

Cunanan revealed in a news forum in Pampanga yesterday that he blacklisted 44 NGOs, including eight from Napoles, when he assumed the TRC post in 2010.

According to him, many of the NGOs blacklisted had “questionable transactions” with the agency.

This prompted the Commission on Audit to conduct a special audit on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of the lawmakers coursed through the TRC.

The audit confirmed the failure of the 44 NGOs to report on how they used the pork barrel funds, he said.

Before he became TRC director general in 2010, Cunanan had been the deputy of Antonio Ortiz from 2007 to 2009.

He recalled that when he first joined TRC in 2007, Ortiz issued a circular limiting him to handling funds for projects costing no more than P1 million.

“In December of the same year, even this power was stripped from me and was transferred to our legislative liaison officer,” he said.

Ortiz is also facing charges filed by the DOJ in the case related to Napoles.

During the media briefing, Cunanan said TRC got some P2.450 billion worth of pork barrel funds of politicians, including former Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, from 2007 to 2009.

He said the PDAF included some P80 million from Enrile, Estrada and Revilla whose funds, he noted, were entrusted to eight NGOs of Napoles, with whom they were charged recently with plunder.

Cunanan, who was implicated in the pork barrel scam by whistle-blower Benhur  Luy, could not recall how much of Arroyo’s PDAF was channeled through TRC.

He would not immediately say which NGO was the supposed beneficiary of Arroyo’s PDAF, although he noted that one such NGO based in Guagua, Pampanga got some P500 million of pork funds. Guagua is within the second congressional district that Arroyo used to represent.

“What happened was that the NGOs approach politicians to find out whether any PDAF is available from them. The politicians then ask them to choose which agency they preferred to course the funds through. TRC is included in this menu. The NGOs come to us or any agency of their choice, already with a recommendation of the politicians who authorize SARO (special allotment release order),” Cunanan said. – With Marvin Sy, Ding Cervantes