Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday defended his decision to reject Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s request to place contractors Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Marcoleta earlier urged Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to admit the couple into the program after they implicated lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Sotto argued that it was inappropriate to extend government protection to individuals who had allegedly profited from massive corruption.
“Hundreds of billions have been stolen from the government, and then you will give them immunity? A witness protection program where we will feed them? The government will pay for where they will live?” he said.
The lawmaker argued that the couple possesses the financial resources to hire their own security services rather than rely on state-funded assistance. He also questioned whether the Discayas were withholding critical information that could surface in ongoing legislative inquiries.
Sotto likewise addressed criticism over his order to detain former DPWH district engineer Brice Hernandez at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center.
The senate chief explained that the Senate had authority to hold those found in contempt at any location deemed appropriate.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is scheduled to resume hearings on the controversial flood control projects on September 18.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson also raised doubts over the credibility of the Discaya couple as potential state witnesses in an ongoing investigation.
He said their inconsistent testimonies and subsequent retractions before the House of Representatives weakened their case for entry into the WPP.
“When they got to the House, they said something different. How can they qualify if their testimony is not definite?” Lacson said.
The veteran legislator backed Sotto’s and Remulla’s in denying the couple’s bid for witness protection.
“If their intent is merely opportunistic, just to escape their cases, then that’s not our call. If we follow the process, we should first grant them legislative immunity,” Lacson explained.
The senator added that the initial endorsement for the Discayas’ protection came from the previous Blue Ribbon Committee leadership and is now considered outdated.
As the current chairman of the panel, Lacson said he must personally review and validate any recommendation before moving it forward.
“If they are hiding something, should we allow them to escape just to save themselves, when in fact they also have a huge responsibility to answer for?” he said.
At present, Lacson said no individual has been confirmed as a qualified state witness in the hearings.
“It is more important to face them and ask questions, so you can more or less gauge whether they are deceiving you or not. So, at this point in time, I cannot conclude or even make a judgment on whether they can qualify as state witnesses,” he said.
