In a text message to GMA News, Lacson said an allegation published on The Daily Tribune on Saturday that he has agreed to sanitize the list—which he says he received from the husband of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles—”doesn’t make sense.”
“How can one sanitize something that he has not seen? Unless I’m the one being accused of sanitizing it, which doesn’t make sense since I announced the number of legislators on the list. It simply defies logic,” he said.
Lacson has said that, based on his list, there are 13 more senators involved in the pork scam aside from Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who are already facing plunder complaints.
As of this post, GMA News Online is still trying to reach Department of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima for comment. She has previously said, however, that she will release the list to the public in time and that the list will not be sanitized.
According to the Tribune report, which cites an unnamed source, Lacson has been pressured by Malacañang to remove names of the Aquino administration’s allies from the list, which he supposedly then leaked to “a major yellow broadsheet.”
Yellow has been used by government critics to refer to allies of the Liberal Party and of President Benigno Aquino III.
“[T]he names of Budget Chief Florencio Butch Abad, Senate President Franklin Drilon, and Agriculture chief Proceso Alcala no longer appear in the Lacson sanitized list. Also, no longer appearing in the Lacson sanitized list are at least three to four allies of President Aquino,” the Tribune reported.
It also said names of other former and incumbent senators have been added to the list to replace those of administration allies.
Lacson to turn over list to De Lima
On Friday, Lacson said he is willing to turn over his list to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, who has her own list from meeting with Napoles before the businesswoman had her uterus and ovaries surgically removed in April.
“Pati nga yung USB, gusto ko ibigay na lang sa kanya, tutal siya naman talaga yung dapat na may hawak niyan e,” Lacson said in an interview aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras” Friday evening.
“And knowing her, I don’t think she will sanitize the list, kasi kredibilidad niya ‘yan e,” he added.
Napoles, who repeatedly denied knowledge of the anomalies in the so-called pork barrel scam, has since agreed to disclose what she knows of the scam. The Justice department is still finalizing Napoles’ affidavit and is verifying claims that she has already made in meetings with investigators.
De Lima has said, however, that Napoles’ statements do not seem to contradict those of other witnesses in the case. — Jonathan de Santos/VC, GMA News
