De Lima: No selective justice; next batch of 'pork' cases to be filed in 2 weeks

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday disagreed with Senator Jinggoy Estrada's claim that the administration is only after "selective justice" in connection with alleged irregularities in the use of "pork" barrel funds.

 

Appearing before a Senate probe on the alleged anomaly, De Lima said her department is still working on building up more cases against those involved in the supposed scam.

 

"How can there be selective justice if we are proceeding on the basis of evidence that we are gathering? We have emphasized that the cases filed so far are just the first batch. Investigation and case build-up so far is ongoing as we speak for the subsequent batches," De Lima said during the Senate inquiry.

 

"Maingat lang po kami. Fina-file namin by batch kapag sufficient na ang ebidensya," she added.

 

Two weeks ago, the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation filed plunder complaints against those who allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam, including trader Janet Lim-Napoles and Senators Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.

In a privilege speech on Wednesday, Estrada criticized the media, his colleagues and various government agencies for a supposed "concerted effort" to "demonize" him in relation to the alleged scam.

De Lima likewise said during the hearing that the DOJ prioritized allegedly bogus non-government organizations linked with Napoles because they were first to be brought to the agency's attention.

 

She added that the DOJ is also set to file complaints against those allegedly involved in the supposed misuse of Malampaya funds next week. — RSJ, GMA News