Aquino stands by men named in Napoles list

Fire them? They’re innocent until proven guilty, says President Benigno Aquino III. The President on May 15 came to the defense of Cabinet Secretaries who are in the so-called Napoles list that alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim Napoles submitted to the justice department. The most crucial question to ask is if there is adequate evidence against the concerned officials, he said. The President stressed it would be wrong for him to fire his Cabinet in response to every criticism against them. Included in the Napoles list is a key adviser of the President, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, as well as Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) head Joel Villanueva.

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