MANILA, (PNA) – Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III on Thursday asked Senate President Franklin Drilon to reconsider his decision not to sign a subpoena for Janet Lim-Napoles on the basis of the Ombudsman’s ‘advice’.
”We urge you to reconsider your decision not to approve a subpoena issued to Janet Lim-Napoles,” Guingona said in his letter addressed to Drilon.
At the start of the blue ribbon inquiry into the pork barrel scam, Guingona said he will wait for Drilon’s response within three days.
Guingona explained that since Drilon signed the subpoena issued to the whistleblowers of the P10-billion priority development assistance fund (PDAF) scam, ‘there is no reason why Napoles’ subpoena must be treated differently.”
”The government officials and even the whistleblowers have been summoned pursuant to this investigation. No logical and legal reason exists why caution, timing, and prudence are now being use to prevent Janet Lim-Napoles from attending the hearings of the Senate blue ribbon committee,” Guingona said in his letter.
In fact, Guingona said throughout his term as chairperson of the blue ribbon panel, a total of 22 subpoenas have been signed by the previous and current Senate President.
Guingona stressed that the power of the Senate, in the past, has been upheld by the Supreme Court in several cases including some he mentioned in his letter.
As the Senate rules dictate, Guingona issued the subpoena to Napoles and sent it to the Office of the Senate President for signature.
Drilon, however, decided to get first the opinion of the Office of the Ombudsman where the criminal complaint of plunder charges, malversation fund and graft and corruption have already been filed against Napoles, lawmakers and other individuals.
In her letter to Drilon, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said “it would not be advisable, at this time, for Ms. Napoles to testify before the said Committee on ‘what she knows’ about the alleged scam.”