Whistle-blowers keeping an eye on Ruby's words, motives

MANILA, Philippines - The "pork barrel" scam whistle-blowers are observing provisional state witness Ruby Tuason for her possible motives in surfacing and offering to divulge information.

Lawyer Levito Baligod, the whistle-blowers' counsel, said that the group of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles' former employees led by Benhur Luy wants to make sure that Tuason is not only after the immunity.

"Kung wala siyang maiaambag sa ating effort na ma-prosecute ang mga [sangkot] sa kasong ito, mago-object din kami sa [pag-admit] niya sa Witness Protection Program," Baligod said Monday in an interview over dzMM.

"Gusto po nating ma-discourage ang mga tao para lang makalusot sa kaso ay lalabas na rin at magsasabi ng mga bagay na hindi natin kailangan," he added.

Tuason herself faced plunder and malversation charges for being Senator Jinggoy Estrada's and Senator Juan Ponce Enrile's conduit with Napoles in the alleged scam. As a provisional state witness, she has been exempted from the cases.

Baligod also said, however, that Luy and companions so far believe that Tuason appeared to help in the case and is not being used by the opposing camp.

"Nakikita ko po na maganda 'yun motibo ni Ginang Tuason at hindi siya minamanipula para makabuti later sa magiging akusado," Baligod said Monday in an interview over dzMM.

Lawyer Stephen Cascolan, who represents other scam whistle-blowers, doubted that Tuason followed her conscience in returning to the Philippines from hiding in the US.

Reacting to Cascolan's remarks, Baligod said that Tuason's moves bare no hints that she is part of the respondents' "defense strategy."

Read: Jinggoy questions Tuason credibility

Tuason has so far backed the whistle-blowers' revelations and admitted that she herself received kickbacks in behalf of the lawmakers, Baligod explaned.

"Mahirap pong sabihin na ito'y bahagi ng defense plan," he said.

While Tuason's accounts will not contribute as much as the whistle-blowers' in the Department of Justice's charges of malversation and falsification of public documents against the senators, she provides solid evidence on the plunder raps, the lawyer said.

Estrada had denied Tuason's statements and said that she is not a credible witness.

"I have never authorized her to represent me in any transactions with regard to my (Priority Development Assistance Fund) allocation. I have never authorized anybody. Maybe she misrepresented herself," Estrada said.