Sen. TG Guingona: Let us not speculate on Napoles' testimony

Senator Teofisto "TG" Guingona III on Wednesday insisted that the testimony of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind, Janet Lim-Napoles, is needed in the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on the supposed anomaly.

 

"Ang layunin natin dito (ay) para malaman ng taong-bayan kung ano nga ba talaga nangyari, papaano nangyari, sino ang may kagagawan, sino ang mananagot, and in the future, papaano maiiwasan ang nangyari na. Iyon ang mga layunin natin," he said in a phone-patch interview with Kara David on GMA News TV's News To Go.

 

"And I hope that ang pagdalo ni Ms. Napoles sa Senado ay makatutulong sa mga katanungang iyan para sa taong-bayan. Ang pinakalayunin natin ay palabasin ang katotohanan," he added.

 

Guingona said this after Senate President Franklin Drilon decided not to approve a subpoena for Napoles to attend the Senate probe on the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam, which she supposedly engineered, as per advice from the Office of the Ombudsman.

 

The Ombudsman said inviting Napoles to the inquiry may just be "an exercise in futility" since the controversial businesswoman has publicly denied involvement in the alleged scam. 

 

However, Guingona stressed that it is speculative to say that Napoles' testimony would not help in the investigation. 

 

"Speculative 'yan. We will only find out until and unless humarap na dito sa Senado," he said. "For now, to make a conclusion na may makukuha o walang makukuha is obviously speculation iyon."

 

Guingona reiterated that he questions Drilon's decision not to approve the subpoena of Napoles, when a subpoena for the whistleblowers were approved.

 

"Ako rin ay nagtataka. Bakit may double standard? May standard para sa whistleblowers, may ibang standard for Janet Lim-Napoles. Siguro si Senator Drilon ang tanungin niyo diyan sapagkat siya ang nagdesisyon," he said.

 

When asked if he has talked to Drilon, Guingona said: "Yes, but he likes to stick by his decision to ask the advice and he has, and I stick to my decision to issue a subpoena."

 

He added that the Senate is not required to follow the Ombudsman's advice against Napoles' appearance at the Senate probe. —Amanda Fernandez/KG, GMA News