PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday he is next going after any senator or congressman involved in illegal drugs and in the pork barrel scam in which, he said, former Justice Secretary and now Senator Lilia de Lima had also been involved.
“Drug and corruption is there, so why set a limit? Go ahead and let the chips fall as they may,” Duterte said during an early-morning press conference in Davao City aired live over government television PTV 4.
“I have some revealing things to tell you, so you just wait. The Napoles case also deserves a second look for it also involves corruption and De Lima.”
Duterte was referring to Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the scam involving the pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund.
He said illegal drugs and corruption was pervasive in the government.
“Drug and corruption in government, so you might as well include it,” said Duterte in challenging the senators and congressmen to continue their investigation.
Duterte said the list of lawmakers implicated in the multi-billion-peso pork-barrel scam in 2013 should be revisited.
He said he would also be reading a second list of police and judges linked to the illegal drug trade.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar told dzRB radio that the Department of Justice will initiate the reopening of the case against Napoles.
So far only three senators”•Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada”•have been charged with plunder before the anti-graft court for misusing their pork barrel.
Napoles, in an affidavit after surrendering in August 2013, produced a list of senators and congressmen who, she claimed, took advantage of their discretionary funds and benefited from the scam.