Jinggoy questions Tuason credibility

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Jinggoy Estrada yesterday doubted the allegations of witness Ruby Tuason, saying his “Tita Ruby” has no credibility.

“As far as I am concerned, in my own opinion, I don’t think she is a credible witness to be placed under the Witness Protection Program,” Estrada said.

Estrada, along with Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, were the two principal players of the pork barrel scam, according to Tuason in her statements before the Department of Justice.

Estrada said Tuason was not telling the truth and her actions were all meant to save herself from prosecution.

“She was just corroborating what the other whistle-blowers said – that she was our agent, she was collecting money from Napoles and giving it to us. I have never ever authorized her to represent me in any transactions with regard to my PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) allocation. I have never authorized anybody. Maybe she misrepresented herself,” Estrada added, referring to
alleged pork barrel scam operator Janet Lim-Napoles.

Estrada said he suspected Tuason, who served as social secretary of his father, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, could have dropped his name to secure commissions from Napoles.

As early as August last year, the younger Estrada said Tuason, who he calls Tita Ruby, informed him that she wanted to leave for the United States.

“I said why are you leaving? If you have nothing to hide then let’s fight this thing together. So she left,” Estrada said.

Estrada said he had been receiving information that Tuason was harboring ill feelings about him because he had not been checking up on her.

When he called Tuason up, Estrada said she asked him to send her some money because she was in a tight situation.

Estrada said he had a chat with Tuason and at the end of the conversation he was surprised that she was asking for money.

“Why would I send you money? You have a lot of money and we are all facing the same case,” Estrada told Tuason in Filipino.

“That’s the end of our conversation, after that I did not contact her,” he added.

In October, Estrada said his mother, former senator Luisa Ejercito Estrada, went to the US with his sister Jackie and they were able to meet Tuason.

Estrada described Tuason as a family friend and very close to them.

“My mom was always praying for her… then she started blurting out something to this effect that she envied Benhur Luy being the whistle-blower, he would not facing jail time,” he said.

Estrada suspected a plan had been hatched to pin him down further in the pork barrel scam.

According to Estrada, Tuason talked to some other people, including the mother of one his lawyers, who was also her friend, and told her that she was afraid of going to jail and would do anything to avoid this.

“By all means I don’t want to be jailed. I would do anything to avoid it,” Estrada quoted Tuason as saying, adding that the statement showed her determination to avoid prosecution.

After going over the affidavit prepared by Tuason, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the government now has a “slam dunk of evidence” linking Estrada and Enrile to the PDAF scam.

Estrada scoffed at De Lima and said what she has with Tuason was more of a lay-up move of a basketball player who could miss its mark.

He said the burden is on Tuason to present actual proof that she handed him and other lawmakers kickbacks from the PDAF scam.

“She (Tuason) has no evidence. It’s all talk,” Estrada said.

“I have nothing to fear. Even this thing with Tita Ruby. I am totally unfazed. My conscience is clear. I can look at you straight into your eyes, Tita Ruby. You never delivered money to me, that is for sure,” he added.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee is set to resume its hearings on the PDAF scam this Thursday and Tuason has been invited to appear before the committee.

Estrada said he is considering attending the hearing but would have to seek legal advice.

He said his appearance in the hearing might be misinterpreted as being self-serving.

Agenda

A lawyer for the witnesses in the pork barrel scam also doubted Tuason’s motives to testify against Estrada and Enrile.

“Could this be part of the other respondents’ strategy?” Stephen Cascolan asked.

Cascolan is among the lawyers representing witnesses Baby Sula, Arlene Baltazar, and Monette Briones – who all worked for Napoles.

Sula, in particular, corroborated the statements of Luy. She also replaced Luy after he had a falling out with Napoles in attempting to copy her business scheme.

While he believed Tuason’s knowledge would be material to case, Cascolan said he is wary that she may have other agenda.

“It is clear that her testimony could help build a tighter case against the senators. But do you really believe that she decided to surface because she was bothered by her conscience?” Cascolan asked.

Cascolan suspected the senators were using Tuason “to know now the prosecution’s strategy.”

“We are not open to the idea (of Tuason cooperating with the prosecution),” he said.

He said he wanted to know if Tuason would “stay for the long haul or until the end of this trial.”

Tuason arrived home on Friday and vowed to tell all. She issued a 15-page affidavit implicating Estrada, Enrile and the latter’s chief of staff Gigi Reyes in the scam.

In return, Tuason was placed under the Witness Protection Program.

Tuason is facing two plunder charges for the pork barrel and Malampaya fund scams.

Cascolan also asked why Tuason was immediately given immunity while the request of their clients, whose affidavits were also used in the initial filing of plunder charges, has remained unanswered.

According to Cascolan, their request was submitted to the DOJ and the Office of the Ombudsman back in November. – With Aie Balagtas See