Ping threatens to release ‘pork’ list if sanitized

MANILA, Philippines - Former senator Panfilo Lacson yesterday threatened to release the list of lawmakers and officials named by suspected pork barrel operator Janet Lim-Napoles as involved in the pork barrel fund scam controversy.

“Obviously if sanitized, it is my obligation to release the list because it’s a corruption issue. It’s everyone’s obligation… to call the attention of the authority,” Lacson told reporters in Malacañang after his briefing on rehabilitation efforts in the areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Lacson revealed there are a number of senators named in the list.

“Actually, I just said enough to constitute a quorum, but actually, enough to ratify a treaty,” he said, meaning at least 16 senators.

Lacson said he doubted Napoles’ “tell-all” statements since there were names that should be included but weren’t, aside from the lack of supporting documents.

Lacson also revealed some names were excluded when in his assessment they shouldn’t have been.

Asked if he was not afraid that Napoles was just playing games, Lacson said: “Well, she can play games for all I care, she’s the one in detention anyway.”

“I won’t bite a mere say-so, all claims must have supporting documents,” he added.

Lacson explained Napoles’ affidavit must have attached documents to support all her claims though there were Special Allotment Release Order numbers, how much was given to the official concerned as commission and other details.

“But what I want to see are the checks… I told her to complete the documents to be presented so the evaluation would be correct, the ombudsman will have an objective evaluation of what is presented to her,” Lacson said.

Lacson also denied furnishing a copy of the “tell all” affidavit of Napoles to jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam.

He said the copy of Napoles’ affidavit was unsigned and incomplete and lacking in evidence or documents.

Lacson said the affidavit of Napoles contained “narration of facts.”

Cam had claimed she has a list of lawmakers who benefited from the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Cam said the list contains 16 senators. She refused however to identify who gave her the list.

Lacson said he has the list given to him by Napoles before she talked with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

“I have the list. What I don’t know is what was given to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima because one month before she (Napoles) talked to the secretary, she contacted me, and then she sent her child and husband,” Lacson said.

“I don’t know about Sandra Cam’s motivation. I think there’s only one copy given by Mrs. Napoles. The one given to me was an affidavit, unsigned and then there was narration of facts, histogram how she grew in that business,” he said.

Asked if Napoles gave him a copy as a safeguard, Lacson said he would not know and that he would not consider her affidavit as a “tell-all.”

“This is not the tell-all. I was expecting it would be a tell-all because she said it would be a tell-all so I received her husband and two children in my office,” Lacson said.

He said this happened before Napoles had a biopsy to determine what was ailing her and thought it would be best for her to bare all in case something happened to her.

“And also, she was exploring the possibility to be granted immunity so I told her that if it was immunity she was aspiring for, then the best person to show this is Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales because that’s in the Ombudsman Law, that she can grant immunity,” Lacson said.

“But if the assessment on my level alone is that it is not a tell-all, why would I bring this to Morales?” he said.

Lacson added he asked Napoles not to sign the affidavit and just type it because the most important for him was the information and the facts narrated.

This way, Napoles would not be placed in a compromising situation if she wanted some things changed, Lacson explained.

“Because once signed, you cannot backtrack anymore, so that’s what we agreed upon,” he said.

“And I was waiting and waiting for them until I forgot about it because I got engrossed with Yolanda problem. I also was not able to follow it up anymore so I just waited for them to call to say we are ready with the documents,” Lacson said.

He said he told the Napoles family that there were many ways to bring the documents to him even while the businesswoman was in hospital.

“There are a lot of means to have access to Napoles while in the hospital until I found out in the media that she had already spoken with Secretary De Lima,” Lacson said.

The pressure is on

There were calls on De Lima to make public the Napoles list with several lawmakers joining the call.

Opposition congressmen joined the snowballing clamor for De Lima to make public the list of lawmakers.

Senators, for their part, are calling for the reopening of the hearings on the pork barrel fund scam in view of the “tell all” affidavit of Napoles.

“If the Senate will not compel Secretary De Lima or Mrs. Napoles to disclose the list, then we will do it here in the House,” Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora told a news conference.

Zamora said he and his minority colleagues would support the resolution of Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco for the House to seek the so-called Napoles list.

“We will take it up with the House leadership to allow it. We can compel the production of that list,” Zamora said.

“What is the benefit of keeping it and hiding it from the public? The best thing to do is to disclose it and let those implicated defend themselves. As of now, every member of Congress is under a cloud of doubt,” he added.

Zamora said De Lima would be suspected of adding or subtracting names if she continues to refuse to reveal the Napoles list.