Senate body yet to wrap up ‘pork’ probe

Senator Teofisto Guingona III and Janet Lim-Napoles. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said he is now ready to wrap up the committee’s investigation into the P10 billion “pork barrel” scam even as he said he has yet to consult with other panel members.

“If it is only up to me, I will already wrap up the Napoles PDAF scam because I feel that my objectives have been met,” Guingona said in a statement sent by his staff member on Friday.

Napoles is detained Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the “pork” scam while PDAF stands for Congress’ Priority Development Assistance Fund, also known as “pork barrel funds.

“However, this is not yet final since this will be subject to consultation with the other members of the committee if we will continue the probe or shift to Malampaya scam,” Guingona said.

The last hearing conducted by the committee was when Napoles faced the chamber  for the first time on November 7.

In that hearing, Napoles repeatedly invoked her rights against self-incrimination as she denied any involvement in the scam.