No holds barred for Ruby Tuason’s testimony

Socialite Ruby Tuason is expected to tell all she knows about the P10-billion pork barrel scam and the P900-million Malampaya Fund when she faces the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday. Photo by INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Socialite Ruby Tuason is expected to tell all she knows about the P10-billion pork barrel scam and the P900-million Malampaya Fund when she faces the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said on Tuesday.

The committee chair said that Tuason would be joined by the earlier whistle-blowers led by Benhur Luy, Marina Sula and Merlina Suñas, all former employees of Janet Lim-Napoles, the detained businesswoman said to have engineered the racket.

“This will be no holds barred, in the spirit of transparency, openness,” Guingona told reporters.

“She named many personalities and she says she can narrate how it was done, where it was done and under what circumstances how it was done. She said she had direct contact,” Guingona said of Tuason, who arrived from the United States on Friday. She went there after the scandal was exposed in July last year.

Tuason signed a statement that she later submitted to the Department of Justice, detailing how she allegedly gave millions of pesos in kickbacks from Napoles to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and lawyer Jessica Lucila Reyes, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff.

“We will also tackle the Malampaya [Fund scam]. Ms. Tuason will already be present, so we will also discuss Malampaya,” Guingona said, referring to the hijacking of funds meant for storm victims in 2009.

He said he invited Luy, Suñas and Sula to corroborate statements given by Tuason.

Asked if Napoles would be summoned, Guingona said: “We will see, we will evaluate. But if her stance would be the same as before [and say], ‘I do not know, I don’t remember, I deny,’ then it might be an exercise in futility.”

Guingona said Tuason would be asked about her alleged cash deliveries through the basement parking of the Senate. Estrada on Monday asked the Senate leadership to look into the CCTV recordings to verify Tuason’s claim.

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