Otherwise, Napoles will be given the 鈥渨idest latitude鈥� by the blue ribbon committee, and despite fears she will clam up, she may just 鈥渢ell the truth鈥� about the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Guingona said.
鈥淚 give my personal commitment. It will never happen under my watch,鈥� Guingona, the committee chair, said, reacting to comments that the hearing would turn into a political 鈥渃ircus.鈥�
Luy blew the lid off Napoles鈥� alleged racket of converting legislators鈥� Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) into kickbacks for 10 years beginning with the Arroyo administration.
Luy was detained for three months reportedly on Napoles鈥� orders until he was rescued in March. Napoles has been indicted and is detained in a police facility in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna province.
Guingona said Napoles and Luy would be seated across each other at the committee hearing to reduce the tension.
鈥淵es,鈥� he said when asked if Napoles and Luy could confront each other. 鈥淏ut of course the questions are controlled by the senators and the committee chairman.鈥�
He said the committee would not allow them to tangle at the hearing.
Guingona also allayed apprehensions expressed by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago that the hearing could turn into a political circus by senators running for election in 2016.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e seen the hearings so far. Would you say there was a circus? The rules were followed; decorum was followed, and so I don鈥檛 see any circus. We already had five hearings, and this will never happen under my watch,鈥� he said.
The rules on decorum would serve as a check against any grandstanding, Guingona said.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said there would 鈥減robably be a circus in terms of attention,鈥� but he expressed confidence Guingona could properly manage the hearing.
Sen. Sergio Osme帽a III, for his part, bristled at Santiago鈥檚 remark, indicating she, too, was guilty of fostering a circus.
鈥淪he would deliver a speech, and she would blow her top, that鈥檚 political circus to me. So, I don鈥檛 know what she means by political circus. It is a valid exercise of the Senate prerogative to investigate matters that have been in violation of various criminal laws, exercising the jurisdiction of the Senate blue ribbon committee. If she calls that a political circus, that鈥檚 very sad to hear,鈥� he said.
Guingona assured Napoles that her constitutional rights, including her right to self-incrimination, would be respected.
But he defended his decision to subpoena Napoles despite apprehensions she wouldn鈥檛 incriminate herself while facing a plunder complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman.
The senator conceded that the hearing might take longer because each senator would have to decide whether her invocation was justified.
鈥淵es, that鈥檚 applicable. We must give people appearing before the Senate blue ribbon committee the widest latitude when it comes to their rights. And I, for one, would like to respect the rights of citizens,鈥� he said.
Guingona, however, agreed with Santiago that only the courts could grant immunity to Napoles. He acknowledged that he had nothing to offer in exchange for a tell-all testimony from her.
鈥淚 just want to invite her and see what she has to say,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ho knows, she might want to tell the truth on her own here. You鈥檒l never know until she鈥檚 here.鈥�
Whether she talks or not, Trillanes said the senators had a 鈥渃lear picture鈥� of the scam. Guingona agreed and said the committee has a 鈥減retty good idea鈥� of the scam based on whistle-blowers鈥� testimonies.
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