Don’t let Janet discredit whistleblowers: CayetanoDon’t let Janet discredit whistleblowers: Cayetano
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (left) confers with Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV (right) and Sen. Sonny Angara before the start of the Senate Session on Monday (Jan. 27, 2014). (MNS photo)
MANILA, June 5 (Mabuhay) – Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday urged Malacañang not to let Janet Lim-Napoles confuse the public and destroy the credibility of the whistleblowers in favor of her “political supporters.”
“Si Ms. Napoles ang nakikinabang dahil nagugulo ang usapan at nahihirit niya ang kanyang immunity o pagiging state witness. Nagagantihan niya ang mga nag-i-imbestiga sa kanya sa pagdawit ng pangalan nila. Nakikinabang din dito yung mga makapangyarihan sa likod niya na hindi pa napapangalanan pati na rin ang mga political supporters niya,” Cayetano said in a statement.
The senator said he is confident President Aquino will not let the multibillion-peso bork barrel scam be swept under the rug.
“To be fair sa Presidente, I think si President Aquino is very sincere sa anti-corruption drive. Nakita naman natin, siya ang nag-umpisa nito, siya ang nagpa-imbestiga sa COA (Commission on Audit); siya naman ay very consistent sa anti-corruption (drive),” he said.
He earlier said he doubts the President is the powerful person backing Napoles.
The senator earlier said that Napoles seemed to be have powerful people backing her up after she accused several lawmakers of involvement in the scam.
“I don’t think it is Malacañang or the President per se but definitely, I am 100 percent sure, that there are powerful people, names behind her because this would not happen without that,” he said.
Napoles is accused of conniving with lawmakers and officials of implementing agencies to funnel billions of pesos of priority development assistance funds to non-government organizations she set up.
A Commission on Audit report earlier said more than P2 billion in PDAF went to Napoles NGOs from 2007-2009.
Three opposition senators – Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla – are facing plunder charges before the Ombudsman for giving their PDAF to Napoles foundations. (MNS)