Palace denies timing plunder cases over pork scam with Aquino’s Sona

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang denied on Sunday that the plunder cases against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. were rushed in time for President Aquino’s fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said the President had already instructed his speech writers to prepare an “outline of the topics that could be included in his Sona.”

“But I would like to clarify that having a speech or the Sona was not the reason [for the filing of plunder cases]. It seems that it’s again an effort to divert attention from the real issue here,” he said in Filipino over Radyo ng Bayan.

But Coloma acknowledged that the plunder cases filed against the three senators would be included in Aquino’s speech, given his administration’s campaign against corruption and for good governance.

“I’m sure that it would be tackled because the President would give a report on the performance of his administration on the key programs or priorities of the Philippine Development Plan, including the good governance and anti-corruption campaign,” he said.

Last Friday, Estrada, Enrile and Revilla were indicted for plunder before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly pocketing huge kickbacks from their pork barrel allotments. Also charged with plunder were businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and five others.

Coloma recalled that an investigation into the three senators’ alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam began last year, long before the annual Sona.

Citing procedures at the Office of the Ombudsman, which eventually found probable cause to charge the senators in the anti-graft court, he insisted that there was no effort to “time” the indictment for the President’s July speech.

“All we wanted was to pursue the processes according to law,” he said.

The Palace also distanced itself from the possibility of the senators, particularly the 90-year-old Enrile, seeking either a house or hospital arrest.

“The decision rests on the courts regarding that matter,” he said.

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