Enrile ‘maneuvering’ to stop Gigi testimony – Miriam

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago warned that Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile could be quietly moving to convince Gigi Reyes not to betray him.

Putting herself in the shoes of her archenemy, Santiago said it was likely Enrile is acting to ensure that his former chief of staff will not turn state witness in the pork barrel scam.

The senator said the possibility gives urgency to her proposal for the Senate to invite Reyes to testify as soon as possible.

“If I were Enrile, as a major suspect, I certainly will not want my own chief of staff to assume the status of state witness so there could be a lot of maneuvering before Attorney Reyes gets to speak in a Senate hearing so I want this hearing to be heard even before the Senate resumes session on May 5,” Santiago told reporters in a phone interview on Monday, April 21.

Santiago said that Reyes’ turning state witness will not bode well for Enrile because she will be forced to tell the truth.

“If she does not live up to the commitment, she will lose immunity from criminal liability so the law is serious about this….If she does not do that, she loses her immune status,” Santiago said.

Reyes has yet to speak about her legal plans two days following her surprise return to Manila. The lawyer and Enrile’s staff of 25 years left the Philippines in August 2013 after the pork barrel scam broke out.  

Citing the “thread of logic,” Santiago said she believes Reyes came home to turn state witness.

“Personally, I doubt very much if she [was] spending an Acapulco style of holiday abroad. I think she had a tormented period of agony there….My question here is one of logic: why will a person after 8 months of hiding come forward so that she will walk straight into a detention jail? I still haven’t figured that one out.”

Santiago added that it remains a mystery whether or not Enrile was indeed unaware of Reyes’ return, as claimed by her brother, Patrick Gonzales. Santiago cited the presence of two security personnel in civilian attire, who escorted Reyes upon her arrival at the airport Saturday.

“If Gigi did this on her own, she was accompanied by two other civilians who were unidentified. It’s either a result of her own initiative, and therefore she made preparations to be accompanied by two people or it may be those two companions are indicative whom she approached before coming back to Manila.  It’s possible she approached one of our executive, legislative public officials,” Santiago said.  

“We don’t know why she came home.”

Reyes is one of the respondents in the plunder charge the Ombudsman plans to file over the multi-billion peso corruption scandal. She is accused of acting as Enrile’s conduit in the scam, receiving millions of pesos in kickbacks on her ex-boss’ behalf in exchange for endorsing bogus non-governmental organizations as recipients of his pork barrel funds.

Her co-respondents are Enrile and Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr and Jinggoy Estrada.

Enrile has been silent since his indictment. 

Why not accept Gigi as state witness?

Santiago smarted over opinions contrary to her call for Reyes to turn state witness. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said over the weekend that the possibility was a “big question mark” while whistleblowers’ lawyers expressed skepticism.

The senator pointed out that if De Lima accepted socialite Ruby Tuason and Technology Resource Center head Dennis Cunanan as possible state witnesses, she should do the same with Reyes in case the ex-chief of staff applies to be one.

“Why did these people agree for Cunanan, and Tuason to be treated as potential state witness and Reyes’ application should not be granted the same status?”

Santiago also clarified her seemingly conflicting statements on the issue. She argued that she initially said there was enough evidence against Enrile but only in so far as finding probable cause to charge him with plunder. She said that Reyes’ testimony though is necessary to ensure his conviction in court.

“With respect to the Sandiganbayan decision, nobody knows how it goes. The standard [of evidence] is proof beyond reasonable doubt. We should welcome it if there’s an application for state witness because it will strengthen the case for proof beyond reasonable doubt,” Santiago said.

Observers said that of the 3 senators accused, Enrile is the most difficult to directly link to the scam. While Tuason said she gave money to Estrada, she was unsure if Enrile knew of the kickbacks she gave to Reyes. Tuason’s lawyer Dennis Manalo said Enrile’s approach was “layering,” or using a conduit in the scheme.

Santiago maintained that Reyes is qualified to be state witness because she is not the “most guilty.”

“There are many inputs but the basic principle is it’s acceptable for the legal profession to grant immunity to an accused if that’s one good way of making sure all of the accused go to jail for the crimes.”

Let public judge Reyes  

Responding to Santiago’s proposal for a hearing, Senator Francis Escudero said it is up to Reyes to decide on the matter.

“It is not for us to decide to reopen the investigation if she has no plans of speaking or if she wants to answer the allegations in court. It is her right to decide which venue to air her side,” Escudero said in a dzRH interview.

Santiago insisted that a Senate hearing will not be a waste of time. She said it is in line with the public’s constitutional right to know.

“We’re all speculating what she will say. Why not give her an opportunity to say it? What will be the disadvantage to public interest if she’s called to testify? Two, notwithstanding she adopts a stance of neutrality, let the public judge her for what she says or not says.” – Rappler.com