The Corrupt Roams Free
In 2013, the Pork Barrel Scam made history and, until now, continues to scandalize the Filipino society. Janet Lim Napoles, the principally accused in this scam, has been enjoying the privilege of being under a provisional witness protection program since February 27.
The Duterte Administration, through then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, is considering Napoles to become state witness. Once a person is discharged as a state witness, it amounts to an acquittal. This outrageous move will not only allow Napoles to escape criminal liability but will reinforce the culture of impunity that persists in our country.
According to the Rules of Court, one can only qualify as a state witness if the accused is not the most guilty. The irony of this is that the Supreme Court has recently denied Napoles’ bail on her plunder case, suggesting that her guilt is strong. Even her own counsel admitted that she knows the details of the anomalous transactions. Napoles has failed to meet this standard as set in law and should not be a state witness, let alone be considered as one.
Through Napoles and her cohorts, billions of hard-earned tax money went to sham non-government organizations. They stole from the innocent Filipino people, and marred reputations of NGOs who are striving hard to serve humanitarian objectives and working sleepless nights to put an end to acts the likes of Napoles are doing. We do not deserve this kind of loss for the sake of the vanity, luxury, and political advantage of the few.
As an institution that advocates for justice and the rule of law, IDEALS strongly condemns the thought of Napoles becoming a state witness. We also take offense on the act of using sham NGOs as avenues for corruption and personal gain.
In five long years, justice has remained elusive. Napoles is now being set to escape her liability while accused politicians are being released, some even remain in office. The corrupt roams free and this administration lets them be.
We call on the Department of Justice to remove Napoles immediately from their witness protection program. She and all the accused must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The guilty must be locked behind bars.
Corruption, injustice, and impunity continue to plague the country despite the dedicated words of this administration against it. We call on everyone to remain vigilant and to intensify their calls for justice because change has yet to come.