Playing ‘Honesto’ JINGGOY WANTS LIE DETECTOR TEST FOR HIMSELF AND WHISTLE BLOWERS

By Ernie Reyes

MANILA, Philippines — Saying he wants an end to his non-stop “persecution,” Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who has been accused of involvement in the pork barrel scam, said he is willing to undergo a lie detector test on one condition — that he take it together with the whistleblowers, including socialite Ruby Tuason.

At the same time, Estrada said he ask his lawyer if he can attend the hearing on the pork barrel scam scheduled for March 6 to confront former Technology and Livelihood Resources Center director-general Dennis Cunanan, who has been linked to the anomaly but has since offered to turn state witness.

The scam, supposedly pulled off by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles in collusion with government officials, involved funneling off of billions of pesos in lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund to bogus nongovernmental organizations.

“Anytime, kahit ngayon. Lahat, pati mga whistleblowers, sabay-sabay na kami. Pati si Mrs. Tuason, sabay-sabay na kami. Sabay-sabay para malaman na ang resulta kaagad (Anytime, even right now. Everyone, including the whistleblowers, let us take it together. Including Mrs. Tuason, we can take it together. Let’s take it together so the results will be known right away),” Estrada said in an interview.

Estrada hurled the challenge because he said he was fed up by what he called his “relentless persecution” by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

“Ano na kasi ito eh, parang ayaw na kaming tigilan (It seems that they won’t stop hounding us). This has been a relentless persecution from day one,” he said.

He also blasted De Lima for accepting persons accused of participating in the scam into the government’s Witness Protection Program, allegedly without first verifying the veracity of their information, referring to Cunanan.

“They keep on accepting and admitting witnesses sa (into the) WPP, hindi muna nila tingnan ang character ng mga tao (without first looking at the person’s character),” Estrada said.

The senator recalled: “Sinabi ni Cunanan before, I think he was present during the first hearing dito sa Blue Ribbon (committee), wala siyang sinasabi na he made a phone call to Senator (Ramon Jr.) Revilla and to Senator Estrada, wala siyang sinasabing ganoon (Cunanan said before, I think he was present during the first hearing of the Blue Ribbon, he never said he made a phone call to Senator Revilla and to Senator Estrada, he never said that).”

“Bakit all of a sudden mayroon na siyang sinasabi (Why is he now, all of a sudden, saying that) he made a phone call to me, he made a phone call to Senator Revilla? Sinabi pa na nagagalit pa raw kami. Bakit hindi pa raw i-release ang pondo? Bakit all of a sudden, bigla siyang lumabas at nagsasalita siya ng ganoon (He claimed that we were angry. Why had the funds not been released? Why, all of a sudden, did he come out and say these things)?” Estrada asked.

Estrada also said it was improper for Cunanan to verify his signatures through phones calls.

“Assuming for the sake of argument na ako ay tinawagan ni Mr. Cunanan, ibig mong sabihin tatawagan niya ang isang senador para i-verify ang aking pirma? Eh, hindi ko naman siya kilala (that Mr. Cunanan called me, you mean to say he’d call up a senator to verify my signature? I don’t even know him),” Estrada pointed out. “How can I verify a document, a signature in a document which I haven’t seen? Over the phone? Ano ba iyon (What is that)? That is improper.”

“I have never seen that guy in my entire life,” he stressed.