Pork Barrel Scam “FRIENDS’ JINGGOY AND ALAN SQUARE OFF OVER PORK ISSUE

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MANILA, Philippines – During the Senate’s last session on Wednesday, two senators who could possibly seek the highest posts of the land engaged in a heated argument in relation to the 2016 elections and the alleged pork barrel scam.

During his privilege speech, which assailed the credibility of potential state witnesses Dennis Cunanan and Ruby Tuason, Estrada, apparently referring to Cayetano, accused a Senate colleague “who announced his intention to run for president” of “using the blue ribbon committee for his political agenda.”

Estrada specifically questioned Cayetano’s move asking the Supreme Court to designate special courts to speed up trials on the pork barrel scam case.

Cayetano made the proposal late last month amid his fears that the case might be abandoned once Vice President Jejomar Binay “wins as president” in the 2016 polls.

Estrada and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who are Binay’s allies, are accused of plundering their own Priority Development Assistance Fund through their alleged dealings with businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

On Wednesday, Estrada said some “grandstanding” senators were using the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigating the alleged pork barrel racket to “further their political interest” and pin him, Revilla, and Enrile down.

“Ang nangyayari po dito ngayon sa blue ribbon committee, ‘yong mga gustong tumakbo, nagpapasikat…Ang ibang senador ginagamit po ‘yong… blue ribbon at our expense [What’s happening in the blue ribbon committee now is that those who want to run in the polls are grandstanding. Some senators are using the blue ribbon at our expense],” Estrada said.

Cayetano has announced his intention to run for president. Estrada, meanwhile, is among those being considered by Binay as his running mate in 2016.

Estrada said that he had noticed during committe hearings on the pork barrel scam that what some senators wanted was to “coach” the resource persons for them to implicate him, Revilla, and Enrile.

“Meron pa ngang nagtanong na isang senador, sinong inakyatan mo sa sixth floor, si Sexy ba o si Tanda [There’s one senator who asked if the resource person who went up the sixth floor wanted to see Sexy or Tanda],” said Estrada.

“Ano ba ibig sabihin no’n? Di ba nagpapasikat lamang po para lamang mapahiya kami ni Senator Enrile…para wasakin kami nang wasakin sa mata ng publiko [What does that mean? Isn’t it that they are just grandstanding to shame me and Senator Enrile? To destroy us in the eyes of the public?],” added Estrada.

Estrada said he couldn’t accept what was being done by his colleagues against him. He singled out Cayetano who according to Estrada approached him after a caucus and said: “Pare, you know, I feel very bad. You’ve been very good to me since the very start.”

Estrada said he had asked why despite his kindness, he was being attacked by Cayetano. Estrada said Cayetano explained to him that, “I have a role to play.”

“Anong role? Porke’t majority floor leader, role to play na, p’wede mo na kaming banatan [What role? Just because you are the floor leader, you can already attack us]?” Estrada told Cayetano on Wednesday.

Estrada also told Cayetano that he had been “very good” to him including to those who had voted for the impeachment of his father, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

“Since 2004, I wanted to make sure when I became a senator, I wanted to maintain a good relationship with all my peers in the Senate even those…who betrayed my father. Lahat ‘yan kaibigan ko. Wala pong masamang tinatapay sa akin [Every one of them is my friend. There’s no such thing as stale bread to me],” Jinggoy said.

Jinggoy said he was surprised that his colleagues started to attack him when the pork barrel scam issue emerged last year. “Wala naman po akong ginagawang kasalanan sa kanila. Masyado na pong personal ito [I didn’t do anyhing wrong to them. This is already too personal]

Friendship not a reason to abandon advocacy

Cayetano confirmed that he had approached Jinggoy and told him that he was hurt by what was happening.

He said Jinggoy had “done me favors” and had been a “good friend” to him. However, he told Jinggoy that their friendship shouldn’t be a cause for him to abandon his advocacy against graft and corruption.

Cayetano said that while he was close to Jinggoy, he still voted for the impeachment of of the latter’s father because “sa tingin ko mali ‘yong ginawa [because as I saw it, something wrong was done.]

Cayetano said he did the same thing with the Arroyos. While former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo was his godfather in his wedding, he still voted for the impeachment of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Kaya sinasabi ko sayo, pare pasensya ka na, kahit personal na kaibigan kita, hindi ako p’wedeng mag-abandon ng role ko dito sa Senado [That’s why I’m telling you, I’m sorry that even if you’re my personal friend, I can’t abandon my role here at the Senate]. Cayetano told Jinggoy.

Also, Cayetano pointed out that Jinggoy and the others accused in the pork barrel scam did not speak out and answer the allegations hurled against them when the issue broke out in September last year.

“Kung sila po’y sumagot, at naniwala ang tao sa sagot at kung logical ‘yong sagot, wala na tayong problema [If they answered and the people believed the answers and if the answers were logical, then we would no longer have a problem],” said Cayetano.

He said Jinggoy shouldn’t expect him to just sit and be silent during Senate inquiries on the pork barrel scam just because they are colleagues.

Cayetano also belied Jinggoy’s claim that he was just grandstanding. “Gusto ko lang po ipakita na hindi pagpapasikat ang ginagawa natin dito. This is the search for the truth.”

He said that instead of just answering the allegations against him, Jinggoy “went beyond” by accusing his colleagues of using the pork barrel issue to serve their political interest.

“Until now you haven’t answered magkano sa pork barrel ang nilagay mo doon. Nadeliver ba ‘yan o hindi, ghost ba ‘yan o hindi [Until now, you haven’t answered how much of your pork barrel went there. Whether the projects had been delivered or these were ghost projects],” Cayetano told Jinggoy.

(Photo caption: Senators Alan Cayetano and Jinggoy Estrada during a heated argument at the Senate on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. Photos by Jamin Verde/InterAksyon.com)