Palace: How can President Aquino help Bong Revilla’s defense?

President Benigno Aquino III has no personal knowledge on the alleged pork barrel scam to serve as defense witness in Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.'s plunder trial, Malacañang said Thursday.

 

At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said he was personally baffled why Revilla would want Aquino summoned to the witness stand. 

 

"Ang requirement kasi when you are a witness is that you have personal knowledge. Ano ang personal knowledge ng ating Pangulo tungkol diyan?" Lacierda told reporters.

 

"Tandaan po natin na itong nangyari kay Senator Revilla, yung accusations sa kanya, nangyari noong 2007 to 2009," he added.

 

Lacierda wondered what Aquino, who assumed office in 2010, could say to help Revilla in his plunder and graft cases.

 

"We are really interested on how President Aquino and the members of the Cabinet will help in proving that Senator Revilla did not make money from the PDAF [priority development assistance fund] scam before 2010," Lacierda said.

 

On Wednesday, Revilla's camp submitted a pre-trial brief before the Sandiganbayan listing Aquino and some Cabinet officials as defense witnesses in the senator's plunder and graft cases.

[http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/369406/news/nation/bong-revilla-wants-sandiganbayan-to-summon-pnoy-to-pork-scam-trial]

 

Revilla is being accused of pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks by allegedly diverting his discretionary funds to ghost projects of non-government organizations put up by alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.  

 

Earlier in the day, Ateneo School of Government dean Antonio La Viña said Aquino couldn't be summoned to the Revilla trial, citing the President's criminal immunity. [http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/369561/news/nation/pnoy-cannot-be-forced-to-testify-in-revilla-case-ateneo-dean]

 

Lacierda said he was uncertain whether the President's immunity from suit indeed translates to a power to decline a court subpoena. The Palace official said the executive will let the Sandiganbayan resolve this legal issue.

 

In 1991, Aquino's mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, testified in during the trial of a libel case she filed against columnist Luis Beltran. —NB, GMA News