House won’t conduct its own pork probe –Barzaga

By XIANNE ARCANGEL, GMA News

Published May 12, 2014 3:35pm

(Updated 5:17 p.m.) The House of Representatives is not inclined to conduct its own investigation of the P10-B pork barrel scam because it might run in conflict with the probe being conducted by the Senate, a leader of the House majority coalition said Monday.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. told reporters that he does not see any reason for the House to investigate the scam even though some of its members have been tagged as co-conspirators in the controversy.

“The Senate has been conducting its own investigation. The criminal aspect of the case is being investigated by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and DOJ (Department of Justice). Even the Ombudsman is doing its own preliminary investigation. Prudence dictates that it would be better if we allow the government agencies entrusted with the prosecution of these offenses to do their job,” Barzaga said.

He said the decision has been reached by several House members in a caucus held in August 2013, when news of the scam allegedly masterminded by trader Janet Lim-Napoles first surfaced.

The caucus, which was called by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, was attended by leaders of several political parties in the House, Barzaga said.

According to Barzaga, no one among the legislators present at the caucus objected to the group’s decision not to conduct a parallel probe on the pork barrel scam.

The minority bloc has a standing resolution calling on the House to investigate the anomaly but it has yet to be referred to any committee.

Minority to spearhead pork probe?

At a press briefing Monday, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the House leadership might be lukewarm to the idea of conducting its own probe into the pork barrel scam because it is aware that several allies of the Aquino administration might be implicated.

Romualdez called on Belmonte and other House leaders to turn over the chairmanship of the House ethics committee to a member of either the minority or independent minority bloc if they are reluctant to conduct it.

“Ibigay na lang nila [yung chairmanship] sa Minority. I think we’ll be more even-handed [in conducting the probe],” Romualdez said.

But Barzaga said this is unlikely to happen since House rules state that committee chairmanship can only be given to members of the majority coalition.

“We have to stick with our rules. Members of the minority and independent blocs cannot demand [for committee chairmanship],” he said.

The House ethics and privileges committee is currently headed by Laguna Rep. Joaquin Chipeco Jr.

Senate probe

The Senate blue ribbon committee has conducted hearings on the pork barrel scam, at one time summoning Napoles herself, who denied the allegations of whistleblowers that lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund allocations were funneled to fake non-government organizations. The lawmakers allegedly received kickbacks.

Napoles later on met with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and gave her a list of people involved in the said scam.

On Monday, the Senate blue ribbon committee has compelled De Lima to surrender to the panel the said list.

De Lima has agreed to submit the list to the Senate.

Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson claimed a total of 21 former and incumbent senators were included in the 'pork scam' list given to him by Napoles' husband, Jaime.

Lacson added two incumbent Cabinet officials—also former congressmen—are also on the list. —KG/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: bantaykaban, porkbarrelscam, elpidiobarzagajr