Guingona rules out Napoles-Luy catfight at Senate hearing

When they face off next Thursday at the Senate, Janet Lim-Napoles and whistle-blower Benhur Luy can’t engage in a catfight, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said on Wednesday.

Otherwise, Napoles will be given the “widest latitude” by the blue ribbon committee, and despite fears she will clam up, she may just “tell the truth” about the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Guingona said.

“I give my personal commitment. It will never happen under my watch,” Guingona, the committee chair, said, reacting to comments that the hearing would turn into a political “circus.”

Luy blew the lid off Napoles’ alleged racket of converting legislators’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) into kickbacks for 10 years beginning with the Arroyo administration.

Luy was detained for three months reportedly on Napoles’ orders until he was rescued in March. Napoles has been indicted and is detained in a police facility in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna province.

Guingona said Napoles and Luy would be seated across each other at the committee hearing to reduce the tension.

“Yes,” he said when asked if Napoles and Luy could confront each other. “But of course the questions are controlled by the senators and the committee chairman.”

He said the committee would not allow them to tangle at the hearing.

Guingona also allayed apprehensions expressed by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago that the hearing could turn into a political circus by senators running for election in 2016.

“You’ve seen the hearings so far. Would you say there was a circus? The rules were followed; decorum was followed, and so I don’t see any circus. We already had five hearings, and this will never happen under my watch,” he said.

The rules on decorum would serve as a check against any grandstanding, Guingona said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said there would “probably be a circus in terms of attention,” but he expressed confidence Guingona could properly manage the hearing.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, for his part, bristled at Santiago’s remark, indicating she, too, was guilty of fostering a circus.

“She would deliver a speech, and she would blow her top, that’s political circus to me. So, I don’t know what she means by political circus. It is a valid exercise of the Senate prerogative to investigate matters that have been in violation of various criminal laws, exercising the jurisdiction of the Senate blue ribbon committee. If she calls that a political circus, that’s very sad to hear,” he said.

Guingona assured Napoles that her constitutional rights, including her right to self-incrimination, would be respected.

But he defended his decision to subpoena Napoles despite apprehensions she wouldn’t incriminate herself while facing a plunder complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman.

The senator conceded that the hearing might take longer because each senator would have to decide whether her invocation was justified.

“Yes, that’s applicable. We must give people appearing before the Senate blue ribbon committee the widest latitude when it comes to their rights. And I, for one, would like to respect the rights of citizens,” he said.

Guingona, however, agreed with Santiago that only the courts could grant immunity to Napoles. He acknowledged that he had nothing to offer in exchange for a tell-all testimony from her.

“I just want to invite her and see what she has to say,” he said. “Who knows, she might want to tell the truth on her own here. You’ll never know until she’s here.”

Whether she talks or not, Trillanes said the senators had a “clear picture” of the scam. Guingona agreed and said the committee has a “pretty good idea” of the scam based on whistle-blowers’ testimonies.

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