MANILA — Malacañang will wait for the assessment of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the application of alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles for full coverage under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark Tuesday after Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner and Spokesperson Greco Belgica said he believes Napoles is not a pork mastermind but a “willing beneficiary of corruption”.
“Never naman po ako naniwala na mastermind ang isang businessman. ‘Di ako naniniwala (I never believed that a businessman could be mastermind. I don’t believe it),” Belgica said in a press conference at the Manila Yacht Club.
“It cannot be true that a businessman can be the mastermind because kahit na sinong contractor, Janet Napoles pa ‘yan, hindi siya anglast say sa mga kontrata (It cannot be true that a businessman can be the mastermind because any contractor, even if it’s Janet Napoles, won’t have the last say when it comes to contracts),” he added.
Roque said Belgica’s statement was his “personal opinion” and would rather wait for the DOJ assessment on Napoles’ application for full coverage of the WPP.
“While the statement of Commissioner Belgica on Ms. Janet Lim-Napoles during his press conference is his personal opinion, we would wait for the assessment of the Department of Justice on Ms. Napoles’ application for the full coverage of the witness protection program,” Roque said.
Roque earlier said President Rodrigo R. Duterte will not meddle on whether Napoles should be placed under the WPP or not.
“Ang Presidente hindi po micro-manager. Nakasaad po sa batas na ‘yung desisyon kung sino papapasukin sa WPP nakasalalay po ‘yan sa mga prosecutors ng DOJ (The President is not a micro-manager. Our law states that it is the prosecutors of the DOJ who will decide on who to place under the WPP),” Roque said in an earlier briefing.
Roque added that it was too early for the public to be “aggravated” by this development since Napoles has not been admitted into the program yet. (Azer Parrocha/PNA)
