The Senate "pork" probe resumed Tuesday, and to the dismay of Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Sen. TG Guingona, no whistleblowers were present at the hearing. Only DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima attended Tuesday's hearing into the multi-billion peso scam. Citing rules of the Office of the Ombudsman prohibiting "publicity" once the case has been filed in court; Sec. de Lima opted not to bring the prized whistleblowers. Only the Ombudsman can give permission whether or not to allow the whistleblowers to appear before the Senate Committee. Sec. de Lima added the whistleblowers were only invited, and not subpoenaed.
This incensed Sen. Guingona, citing that the Blue Ribbon committee has the supreme authority over such cases. Saying this was unprecedented, he issued a subpoena for the whistleblowers to appear on Thursday when the probe resumes. Coincidentally, Janet Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the scam, was also set to appear on Thursday, making the accusers and the accused face each other for the first time since the scam made the news. But to further add to Sen. Guingona's blood pressure is the decision of Senate President Franklin Drilon not to issue a subpoena for Janet Napoles, deferring to the opinion of the Ombudsman that it is not advisable for Napoles to appear before the Senate. All these moves have put the rumor mills into overdrive, which we will not bring up here, for now.
What happened last Tuesday was an apparent clash of hierarchies. Who has authority over whom. The whistleblowers are indeed the nucleus of this whole case. Their revelations are nothing less than amazing and their testimonies have bewildered the common citizens of this country. The ease of making millions with just the stroke of a pen is beyond comprehension for those toiling just to make ends meet. While many work just to put food on the table, send their children to school and pay the rent, there are those who allegedly put piles of money in bathtubs. Needless to say, the cry for justice has been loud. People want to know how this all happened, why it took almost a decade before being discovered, and who is really behind this. The cry for justice isn't just loud, it is filled with rage. It was never a secret that corruption existed in government. But at this magnitude is what people are smelling blood for.
This leaves all of us hoping that with the opinions of the Ombudsman regarding the cases against those implicated by the whistleblowers revelations, the cases will progress at an acceptable pace, and not drag on like the other scams before it. One cannot be blamed if one already thinks deals have already been made regarding the pork barrel scam. That those implicated are moving hell to be exonerated. If the ball is now in the Ombudsman's court, then they better not play like the former Ombudsman, who intentionally dropped the ball at every turn. The people are closely watching this now infamous case. The people demand justice. Nobody should be allowed to steal from the people's money that easily, no matter who they are, or think they are.