Lacson disclosure nothing but hot air, says Revilla lawyer

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — While some might have quaked in their boots, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. was confident nothing would come out of Secretary Panfilo Lacson’s disclosure linking more senators to the pork barrel scam.

Joel Bodegon, counsel for Revilla, belittled the significance of Janet Lim Napoles’ unsigned affidavit, which was the basis of Lacson’s disclosure.

“An unsigned affidavit is no affidavit at all,’’ Bodegon said in a text message.

Bodegon, however, said that Revilla believed that Lacson had “good enough reason’’ not to disclose the names of the senators named by Napoles in her draft affidavit.

“He understands that the so-called Napoles affidavit given to former Senator Lacson is unsigned,’’ he said.

Quoting Napoles’ unsigned affidavit, Lacson said Wednesday last week that at least 12 senators were implicated in the racket, but he did not name them. He got a copy of Napoles’ draft affidavit from her family in March.

Lacson, a former senator, is the administration’s chief coordinator for disaster rehabilitation.

Napoles earlier handed a signed affidavit to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima pinning down Senators Revilla, Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada after an apparent “tell-all’’ account of her role in the scam. She offered to turn state witness.

Unsettled by Lacson’s disclosure, some senators led by Senate President Franklin Drilon urged the former senator to disclose the list of senators but back this up with evidence.

Both affidavits given to De Lima and Lacson would be evaluated by the Department of Justice, Malacañang had said.

Two weeks ago, the Ombudsman ruled there was merit to file plunder charges against Revilla, Enrile and Estrada, Napoles and several others with the Sandiganbayan over the scam.

The three senators have denied any wrongdoing.

Lacson’s disclosure, whether this had legal basis or not, was damaging to the Senate as an institution and could be a source of distraction to the senators in their legislative function between now and 2016, some senators said.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara Jr. added his voice to this.

“It’s hard to say there has been no damage to the Senate as an institution with recent revelations. How things play out in succeeding months will for better or for worse affect public perceptions of the legislature,’’ Angara said in a text message.

Angara vowed to do his job well “so as to maintain or restore public trust’’ in lawmakers now sitting in Congress.