LP won’t help members charged in ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines - The leadership of the Liberal Party (LP) will not lift a finger to help its members who may be charged in connection with the pork barrel scam, Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento said yesterday.

Sarmiento, secretary general of the LP, said President Aquino made this clear during a recent meeting with party members as he told them he has to be consistent with his instructions to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to follow the evidence wherever it may lead.

“If we have partymates out there who may be involved and will be charged, don’t expect us to intervene or make magic (to dismiss the charges),” Sarmiento quoted Aquino as telling them.

“There’s no truth that if an official is an LP member, he or she is protected,” he added.

At least 10 congressmen and two Cabinet officials, including Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who are LP members, were implicated by whistle-blowers and suspected pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles.

Sarmiento, however, said the party has asked the DOJ to make sure there is strong evidence or probable cause to charge their members.

“It’s so easy to put down names, but we hope the investigators make sure that there is really evidence,” he said. “We hope the public understand that doesn’t mean we’ll be engaged in cover-ups, but we also have to protect our innocent members.”

Earlier, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, leader of the independent bloc in the House, said Aquino should order the DOJ to expedite the resolution of complaints against his allies to avoid allegations of political persecution of his critics.

“There is an obvious campaign of political persecution against former members and allies of the previous administration. Let it be said that this administration that espouses the daang matuwid will not just persecute those who are oppositors to this administration,” he said.

Parañaque City Rep. Gustavo Tambunting, a member of the United Nationalist Alliance, said he is giving the government the benefit of the doubt. “It is too early to say this is political persecution,” he said.

“If the government doesn’t pursue cases against their allies where there is sufficient evidence, it might end up as political persecution,” he added.

Palace backs probe

Meanwhile, Malacañang supports the move of the DOJ to investigate allegations that Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Alcala are involved in the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam.

“The investigation process, evaluation process of DOJ under the leadership of Secretary Leila de Lima is colorblind so we support the process,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told radio dzRB.

He said the evaluation of affidavits submitted by pork scam whistle-blowers took time because the statements have to be supported with documentary evidence.

On Thursday, De Lima said she has no problem conducting a probe on Abad and Alcala.

“As to whether or not we’re formally investigating them, that would be premature in the sense that we are still determining if they are in the category that there is enough evidence to move it forward to the ombudsman,” she said.

Abad, a former representative of Batanes, was dragged in the issue after Napoles claimed he was the one who taught her how to deal with the government and told her that non-government organizations (NGOs) are needed to transact with state agencies.

Alcala was accused of transacting with the bogus non-government organizations formed by Napoles.

Both Abad and Alcala had denied the allegations.

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chief Joel Villanueva was also identified as among the former lawmakers who channeled their pork funds to Napoles’ fake NGOs.

Villanueva was representative of the Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list when the supposed misuse of funds occurred.             – With Alexis Romero