Lacson: More lawmakers should have been charged in pork barrel scam

Sen. Panfilo Lacson (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirera0

Sen. Panfilo Lacson believes there are other lawmakers that should have been charged but were excluded in the so-called pork barrel scam.

Lacson refused to name names but said the quorum either in the Senate or in the House of Representatives might be transferred to Camp Crame when alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles starts pointing fingers.

“I think may hindi napasama na dapat kasama. I’ll just not mention names,” he told reporters in an interview at the Senate.

“But remember: Mrs. Napoles shared with me when I was still Yolanda coordinator, share niya sa akin through the husband and the son ang listahan niya. And the same list I think was submitted to Sen. Guingona at the time,” said the senator, who served as rehabilitation czar during the past administration.

He was referring to former Senator Teofisto Guingona III, who headed the Senate blue ribbon committee.

“I’ll just be quiet about who are those nakalusot or not. Darating naman siguro yan, once Mrs. Napoles magbigay siya ng ebidensya,” Lacson said when pressed to name those who had been excluded from the charges.

He said it would still depend on the evidence that Napoles could provide if the other lawmakers in the list should be included in the charges.

Lacson brought up the pork list when sought for comment on the possibility that Napoles would be used as a state witness.

But such decision, he said, would now be up to the court handling the pork barrel cases against Napoles and other personalities.

“Ang worry ko rito, when Mrs. Napoles starts pointing fingers, baka malipat ang quorum sa Crame. Hindi na sa Senate or di na sa House. Baka doon na tayo magro-roll call. Huwag naman sana,” Lacson said.

“At sana hindi selective,” he added. “Kung meron talagang dapat managot, so be it. Pero para magamit sa pulitika, I’m not saying gagamitin sa pulitika, pero kung papanagutin ang dapat managot, so be it.” /atm