MANILA
Is the law catching up with the legislators who had allegedly skimmed off their PDAF allocations? Are these legislators quaking in their boots now?
The so-called pork barrel scam here is the most scandalous case of theft of the people’s money in recent times. Supposedly a brainchild of “pork queen” Janet Lim Napoles, the scheme involved using legislators’ pork barrel — officially called Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) — to ostensibly finance projects across the country. But, in most cases, the projects existed on paper only but not on the ground.
The PDAF money, almost intact precisely because there were never any actual projects, was allegedly shared by Napoles, legislators, and people in the government bureaucracy who helped Napoles make the projects look real. In all, the Napoles scam had allegedly amassed P10 billion.
But a monkey wrench hit the works.
For some reason or another, some of Napoles’ staff squealed on her and told all. Prominently among these former Napoles associates is the unflappable Benhur Luy, a Napoles kin whose relationship with her somehow soured. Luy and his co-whistleblowers exposed the Napoles scam, complete with a “truckload” of evidence. The bulky evidence was sent to the Ombudswoman, who is investigating.
And now, the feces has really hit the ventilator. A former suspect in the scam who was on the lam abroad has returned to offer her testimony as a state witness, in return for immunity from prosecution.
Ruby Tuason, formerly associated with ex-President Joseph Estrada, has come forward from self-exile to buttress the government’s case against the accused, among whom, as everybody knows, are Sens. Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Bong Revilla.
From the mouths of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Tuason’s attorney, Tuason is touted to have corroborative evidence against the accused. De Lima, borrowing from basketball parlance, claims Tuason’s testimony is a “slam dunk” for the government’s case.
So, are the accused senators (and the others) now trembling in their boots, with immediate incarceration hovering over their heads because the charge of plunder is non-bailable? Arrest seems a distinct possibility although the timing is still up in the air. It will be up to the Ombudswoman and the Sandiganbayan, the special court that handles cases against public officials.
The accused don’t look overly perturbed, though.
Jinggoy Estrada has claimed surprise and puzzlement over Tuason’s surfacing, claiming, as before, innocence. Jinggoy’s dad, the deposed ex-President and now mayor of Manila, is confident his son will emerge from this scrap unscathed. Enrile and Revilla have been virtually silent.
Perhaps it’s the bravado of people used to wielding power that makes Jinggoy Estrada appear nonplussed. The Estradas have both tasted power and undergone the agony and angst of a court trial where they were accused of plunder years ago. As we all know, Estrada the younger escaped jail, but Estrada the elder paid for his crime, although he did time in less spartan and humiliating conditions.
Jinggoy must be a splendid poker player because his countenance betrays no anxiety or fear. But then again, he is an actor, albeit not a superb one, and he can put up a brave face with ease.
Whichever is the case, Jinggoy exudes the confidence of a gambler with an ace up his sleeve.
The pork barrel scam cases, if they do reach the courts, will be pitting lawmakers who have gotten accustomed to pulling levers of power on one side and two of the so-called Three Furies — de Lima and Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-Morales — on the other side. (The third Fury is Kim Henares, the indefatigable internal revenue commissioner who’s been relentlessly going after tax evaders.)
De Lima and Carpio-Morales are known for their feistiness and wouldn’t back down in the face of the influence and connections of the senators involved. But more than their guts, the two ladies are known to be upright and committed to their jobs. Add to that their care in making sure their moves are dictated by the letter and spirit of the law.
There looms a battle royale between the powerful and the loyal servants of the law. Who will win in the end?
It will not be an easy contest. As court cases go in the Philippines, it will be a long haul. The protagonists’ determination and stamina will be tested by the pork barrel scam.
Large segments of the public are sick and tired of the stealing of the people’s money and the abuse of power by elected officials. No doubt they will be on the side of de Lima and Carpio-Morales in this looming grand battle.
Are the senators and the other accused shaking in their shoes now? If they realize the seriousness of their situation and the potential consequences of their alleged actions, they should be.
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