MANILA, Philippines - Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong yesterday said he would answer the allegations of his supposed links with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles at the proper forum.
Speaking through Fourth Division clerk of court Joeffre Gil Zapata, Ong chose not to explain his side personally to the media, saying he would do so only before the Supreme Court (SC).
The high court has started the investigation on charges linking Ong to Napoles, following the revelations of whistle-blowers before a Senate hearing that the Sandiganbayan magistrate was often seen attending parties and gatherings hosted by the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind.
Ong noted that since the SC is conducting a formal investigation on him, it would not be proper to discuss the issue before the media.
Zapata said Ong has yet to receive an official copy of the SC order directing him to answer the allegations.
Zapata added Ong also does not have copies of the testimonies of the witnesses and was not able to watch the Senate proceedings on television, which is why he cannot comment on the issue.
In August, an online news website published a photo of Ong partying with Napoles and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Ong was a member of the Sandiganbayan’s fourth division that had cleared Napoles in the Kevlar helmet case involving ghost purchase of 500 Kevlar helmets using government funds in 1998.
Ong has voluntarily submitted himself to investigation of the high court in a letter to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno last Sept. 26.
Ong said the photo could not have been taken in 2010 or earlier. He said he and Estrada are old friends dating back to 1994.
“Be that as it may, it is undisputed, however, that I was standing to the right of Senator Estrada to have my picture taken with him. I have no control whether other guests (in this case, Mrs. Napoles, who was standing to his left) would also want to be photographed with us,†Ong said in the letter.
Ong also belied favoring Napoles, explaining the Kevlar helmet case was dismissed by the members of the court division that acted as a collegial body.