Palace agrees with Senator Pimentel: Paper trail is key
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang agrees with Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III that the government should gather documents to build a solid case against those responsible for the P10-billion pork barrel scam instead of preoccupying itself with Benhur Luy’s digital files, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on Saturday.
Speaking on state-run radio dzRB, Coloma said President Benigno Aquino III had always held that the investigation and prosecution of cases related to the scam should be based on evidence.
“Let the evidence point to the direction of the inquiry,” Coloma said, quoting the President.
“And the government will do what is appropriate so justice can be served over the misuse of state funds, in connection with the PDAF scam, or even the so-called Malampaya scam, without fear or favor,” he added.
The PDAF scam refers to the alleged plunder of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, which, until President Aquino abolished it last year, was a pork barrel that financed countryside projects recommended by lawmakers.
The Malampaya scam refers to the alleged plunder of the Malampaya Fund, the repository of royalties from the operation of the Malampaya gas line in Palawan province.
Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. and more than 30 former members of the House of Representatives and former government officials are facing plunder charges over the pork barrel scam.
Napoles, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and more than 20 former government officials are facing plunder charges for the alleged misuse of P900 million from the Malampaya Fund.
Coloma stressed that any information offered in public should be scrutinized if it has any probative value, or if it could stand judicial scrutiny.
Pimentel said on Friday that the Department of Justice should follow the paper trail of the pork barrel scam by compiling special allotment release orders, notices of cash allocation and checks rather than preoccupying itself with Luy’s digital files.
Pimentel dismissed the files as “useless nonsense” that have no value as evidence in court.
He balked at his colleagues’ proposal that the Senate blue ribbon committee, which investigated the pork barrel scam, call Luy again to testify on his files.
Pimentel said it should be Napoles and her family who should be called to shed light on her expanded affidavit implicating 20 senators in the scam.
The Senate blue ribbon committee released copies of Luy’s files to the press on Thursday after getting a copy from the National Bureau of Investigation.
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