Napoles as state witness draws mixed reactions in House

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Even lawmakers at the House of Representatives have mixed reactions about Janet Lim-Napoles becoming a state witness against the pork barrel scam.

No less than the Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the scam, may become a state witness, but on one condition: She should not be selective in her affidavit.

“As long as her memory is not selective, tell all,” the Speaker said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.

When asked if Belmonte approved of Napoles as state witness conditionally, Belmonte said: “Yes, if she qualifies under the legal requirements.”

But the Makabayan bloc rejected the idea. The militant group said it would block moves to make Napoles testify about the scam she was accused of masterminding.

“We will oppose this move considering that Napoles is one of the main culprits in the pork barrel scam and this would be a clear travesty of justice,” Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said.

Colmenares even claimed that there seemed to be an arranged deal between Napoles and the Aquino administration for Napoles to spare the President’s allies from the scam if she becomes a state witness.

“It seems that for Napoles to go unscathed she would have to exonerate the president’s allies which is also unacceptable,” Colmenares added.

Meanwhile, Isabela Representative Rodolfo Albano III said Napoles should not be a state witness because she was a “principal beneficiary” in the scam.

“I find it silly if she becomes a state witness. Because a state witness should be the least guilty,” Albano said in an interview with INQUIRER.net.

He, however, said there should still be a “benefit of the doubt” to his colleagues in the Senate even if Napoles tells it all against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

In a Radyo Inquuirer 990AM report, 1-Bap Rep. Sylvestre Bello III was quoted as saying he does not think Napoles is “most guilty.”

“If she will tell all, why not. After all to my mind, she is not the most guilty,” Bello, a former justice secretary, said in an interview with Radyo Inquuirer 990AM.

Meanwhile, Magdalo Rep. Ashley Acedillo said Napoles could become a state witness if only she would be willing to return her kickbacks from the scam.

“I say yes, but on two conditions: TELL ALL, and RETURN ALL (that she stole)!” the representative, who was also among the soldiers involved in the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, said in his Twitter account.

The pork barrel scam is an elaborate scheme of diverting the now defunct Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to the bogus organizations of Napoles for kickbacks among Napoles, lawmakers and other government officials.

At the House, among those accused for involvement in the scam were former members – incumbent Masbate Governor and former Masbate Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, former APEC party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez, former Agusan Del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa, and former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula.

While the Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to file plunder and graft charges against the senators in the scam, it has yet to release its resolution on the former House members.

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