Make public Napoles list, De Lima urged

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima should make public the list of former and incumbent legislators and government officials who also allegedly put their priority development assistance fund to bogus non-government organizations of businesswoman Janet Napoles.

De Lima should do this before some officials of the Aquino administration sanitize the so-called Napoles list, according to militant group Bayan.

"The public must know the extent of the conspiracy that involves officials from the Executive and Legislative," Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said.

Reyes said De Lima should also divulge how much of the Disbursement Acceleration Fund, if any, went to the questionable Napoles NGOs.

"It is important to point this out as the Supreme Court has yet to decide on the DAP's legality. We'd like to know how high up in Malacañang does evidence lead to," he said.

He also cautioned the government from accepting Napoles as a state witness against those now facing plunder charges.

"A cover-up in exchange for granting Napoles state witness status will result in massive protests," Reyes said.

During their five-hour meeting at the Ospital ng Makati Monday night, Napoles gave out to De Lima the names of around 100 ex- and incumbent legislators and government executives whom she had transacted with regarding their pork barrel.

Napoles, who is facing serious illegal detention charges at the Makati court, had gone under the knife for her medical condition. She is expected to be transferred to her detention cell in Fort Sto. Domingo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna after she recovers from her operation.

Napoles is being tagged by whistleblowers as the brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam.