By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, June 4 (PNA) – Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano believes controversial businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles is backed up by powerful people but not by President Benigno S. Aquino III.
”I really believe that powerful people are behind Ms. Napoles. But to be fair to the President, I think President Aquino is very sincere in his anti-corruption drive,” Cayetano said on Wednesday.
He noted that President Aquino is consistent in fighting corruption by ordering the Commission on Audit (COA) to investigate the alleged misuse of the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
”What Malacanang should do is ignore the critics who are blaming the President,” Cayetano said.
He said the solution is for the full cooperation of the executive, judiciary and legislative branches of government in running after the culprits of the pork scam.
”I can see that Ms. Napoles is becoming desperate because of strong evidence against her and her family,” Cayetano added.
He said the only way out for Napoles is to be granted immunity or to form alliance with the next president in 2016.
”She has only two options — the immunity or to become an ally of the next president. That is called political solution,” he explained.
Cayetano said if Napoles is sincere in applying as state witness, she should return not only the P200 billion she earned from the scam but “all her properties.”
Senator Bam Aquino agreed with Cayetano, saying Napoles should return the billions she stole from the government.
”Do we have to thank her for her offer to return the money she stole from us? Even if she doesn’t return it initially, in the course of our justice system, we expect to recover the billions of pesos that Napoles stole from the public,” Aquino said in a press statement on Wednesday.
”Napoles may be remorseful but it’s too late. Many sectors were deprived of important projects that were supposed to be funded by the billions of pesos that Napoles stole from government funds,” Aquino added.
Napoles recently issued an affidavit containing the list of 120 lawmakers she implicated in the pork scam.
Cayetano was among the 20 senators listed in the sworn affidavit of Napoles.
The list also includes Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., who have already been charged with plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman based on the testimonies of the whistle-blowers led by Benhur Luy. (PNA)