Napoles might name senators in scam: Cayetano

MANILA - What are the possible scenarios in the upcoming testimony of businesswoman and alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim Napoles? According to Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, it is possible that Napoles might link some senators to the alleged misuse of billions of pesos in priority development assistance funds (PDAF). "We don't know what to expect when she testifies. Will she tell the truth or will she lie? Some senators said - paano kung guluhin niya o sabihin kakilala niya o nabigyan niya lahat ng pondo? We have to trust the people to make their own judgment on who is telling the truth," he told radio dzMM. He said a similar situation occurred when former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano accused some lawmakers of having benefited from poll cheating. The debate on whether to call Napoles, the alleged architect of the pork scam, to testify in the Senate probe was earlier left to Senate President Franklin Drilon, but he twice refused to sign the subpoena for Napoles. Drilon signed the subpoena on Wednesday after being vilified in the media. Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the panel might summon Napoles next week. He said the subpoena for Napoles will be issued on Thursday, October 17. Guingona said there will be no guidelines on what the senators can or can't ask Napoles. He doubts, however, that Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla will be joining the probe after they were slapped with plunder charges for their alleged links to the scam. Cayetano said allowing Napoles to testify before the Senate will allow the senators to refute her charges if she links them to the scam. "If she does not want to talk, ang punto makita ng ating kababayan na ang kapangyarihan ng Senado ay ginagamit sa mabuti. Hindi namin sinasanto kahit kasama namin sa Senado," he said. He said one effect of the pork scam is that it has cast doubts on the integrity of all lawmakers and not just those who allegedly benefited from the scam. "Just bringing her there is a victory in itself. Let us see kung paano natin mapapalabas ang katotohanan," he added. Radio DZMM, October 17, 2013