SOJ Remulla: Discayas 'not forthcoming' with information, not OK for state witness

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday he believes that contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya are not forthcoming with their information on anomalous flood control projects, making him unsupportive of their bid to become state witnesses.

“Kailangan sabihin ang buong katotohanan. Hindi pwede selective. Mukhang hindi tayo papunta doon,” the secretary said in an ambush interview.

(We need to tell the whole truth. It cannot be selective. It looks like we’re not going in that direction.)

“Talagang sinabi ko kay Senate President (Vicente Sotto III) na kung ako talaga, ayaw ko bigyan ‘yan ng ganoong status kasi hindi forthcoming eh. Dapat diyan talaga, to tell the whole truth. Hindi pwedeng mamili. Dapat ‘yan sabihin ‘yung buong kasaysayan at buong katotohanan,” he added.

(I really told the Senate President that if it were up to me, I wouldn’t give them such a status because they’re not forthcoming. What’s needed there is really to tell the whole truth. They cannot pick and choose. They should tell the whole history and the whole truth.)

In a letter addressed to Remulla, Senator Rodante Marcoleta, former Senate blue ribbon committee chairman, recommended the Discayas to be made state witnesses.

Sotto did not sign this, questioning if their testimony was a “tell-all or tell half.” 

The Discayas, before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, previously disclosed the names of several congressmen, their staff, and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways who are allegedly involved from July 2022 onwards.

Sarah Discaya, however, admitted they started winning contracts in 2016.

Meanwhile, Remulla reiterated that he wanted the couple to return ill-gotten funds, if any, to the country’s coffers before they can be considered as state witnesses.

Remulla was asked about Senator Panfilo Lacson’s remark that he told Sotto he would not sign the recommendation of Senator Rodante Marcoleta to place the Discayas under witness protection. Lacson replaced Marcoleta as Senate blue ribbon committee chairperson.

Brice Hernandez

Asked if former Department of Public Works and Highways district engineer Brice Hernandez may become a state witness, Remulla said the government will evaluate everybody.

It was Hernandez who claimed that some senators, specifically Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, were involved in anomalous flood control projects

Meanwhile, Remulla said the National Bureau of Investigation will soon file cases for ghost flood control projects.

“They will be filing cases for this one,” he said.

“Titignan namin kung kaya plunder, we will see. Malversation sigurado,” he added.

(We will see if we can file plunder. Malversation for sure.)

Independent commission

Meanwhile, Remulla said that the Marcos administration’s Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which will investigate flood control and other infrastructure projects within the last ten years, is for the truth.

“Ito talaga it’s a commission to find out the truth about all of these corruption in the DPWH,” he said.

He was asked about the Aquino administration’s Truth Commission which was found unconstitutional for violation of the equal protection clause. The Truth Commission was tasked to investigate the alleged corruption and cheating scandals of the Arroyo administration.

Remulla said this was taken into consideration when the executive order creating the independent commission was drafted.

“Kami, we will rely on the evidence. Cooperation will go a long way. And if you try to stonewall, then face the consequence,” he said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News