Segregate Enrile 'pork' cases, prosecution told

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday ordered prosecutors to segregate the documents pertaining to the pork barrel cases of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile from those that are not.

This came after lawyer Estelito Mendoza, Enrile's legal counsel, requested the Sandiganbayan's 3rd Division in open court that it is difficult to sift through the voluminous documents furnished them by the prosecution panel regarding the plunder and graft cases against the senator.

Mendoza asked the court to order the Office of the Ombudsman to submit another set of documents and furnish them with copies, identifying an allegation and its corresponding evidence.

"It has been very difficult for the accused to answer such allegations," he said, referring to the voluminous documents filed by the Ombudsman to the anti-graft court regarding the pork barrel scam.

Associate Justice Samuel Martires, a member of the 3rd Division, said that of the almost 9,000 pages of documents, only less than 100 pages referred to the case against Enrile.

"The rest pertains to other congressmen whom I will not name," Martires said.

He added that government prosecutors gave the court "a hard time reading all the documents" on the pork barrel cases.

Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang suggested that the prosecution panel comes up with a tabulation, indicating a specific allegation and evidence to prove their case.