Escudero ready to defend self should name appear in Napoles’ list
Sen. Francis Escudero. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday said he is not worried with the “tell-all” testimony of alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
“Hindi ako kinakabahan. Hindi ko alam at hindi ko pa nakikita ang affidavit ni Napoles,” Escudero said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
(I am not worried. I do not know and I have not seen the affidavit of Napoles.)
He said he never allocated his Priority Development Asistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to the bogus non-government organizations linked to Napoles.
Escudero expressed reservations about the credibility of Napoles saying her testimonies might contradict the earlier statements exposed by the whistle blowers.
“Dapat bang pagkatiwalaan ang lahat ng sasabihin ni Napoles? Paano kung ‘di mag match ang testimonya niya sa mga whistleblowers? ” he said.
(Should we believe all the statements of Napoles? What if her testimony won’t match with the whistleblowers’? )
According to him, the Department of Justice (DOJ) should not screen the statements made in the sworn testimony of Napoles.
“Kung ano man ‘yung nilagay niya, totoo man o hindi, hayaan niyo nang nandun ‘yun, at kung sinuman yung andoon na dinamay niya na sinisiraan lang niya, hayaan niyong sumagot at ipaliwanag ang kanyang panig,” he said.
(Whatever was in her affidavit, whether true or not, let us leave it there, and let those implicated be given the chance to answer and explain their side.)
He assured he is confident that he can defend himself in case his name would be implicated in Napoles’ testimony.
He said Napoles may lie and include his name since he was the one who initiated the move to subpoena Napoles in senate in November 2013 and wanted her to be transferred to a regular jail.
“Kaya kong tayuan na wala akong inalocate diyan at kung anuman ang sabihin niya ay kaya kong tayuan at sabihing ‘di totoo iyon,” he said.
(I can prove that I never allocated [my PDAF in Napoles’ NGOs] and whatever she would say against me would not be true.)
On Wednesday, former senator and now rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson said more than a hundred government officials from the present and previous administrations have been implicated by Napoles in a draft affidavit that her family provided him.
Lacson said the names implicated in the pork barrel scam included at least 12 current and previous senators, many congressmen, and even cabinet officials.
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