De Lima denies Luy et al. leaving witness protection program

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Thursday denied reports that whistleblowers of the P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam led by Benhur Luy were planning to leave the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).

De Lima said some quarters were simply “fomenting intrigues” for their own “sinister agenda.”

Luy is reportedly exasperated over De Lima’s continuous resetting of their meeting. Luy wants to meet with De Lima after her meeting with pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles.

“That’s not true at all. Besides, there was only one resetting—from yesterday (Wednesday, April 30) and a tentative setting at that tomorrow (Friday, May 2),” De Lima said in a text message to reporters.

She said she only rescheduled the April 30 meeting due to the launching of the e-subpoena system in Camp Crame.

“So, what ‘continued’ resetting is that media item talking about? For their own sinister agenda, some quarters simply cannot stop fomenting intrigues,” De Lima said.

On the day that De Lima held a press conference to announce Napoles intention to become state witness, Raji Mendoza and Dennis Manalo  – counsels of Luy and Ruby Tuason, respectively –said their clients were concerned on the possibility of Napoles muddling up the plunder and other cases set to be filed before the Sandiganbayan.

But De Lima said then that although the reaction of the whistleblowers was understandable, it was still premature as the DOJ did not commit to making Napoles a state witness.
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