Malacañang on Friday called on the public to respect the Sandiganbayan’s decision acquitting former Senate president and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, his former chief of staff Gigi Reyes, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles of 15 graft charges related to the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
“Nagsalita na ang korte, so igalang natin. Igalang po natin kung ano ang desisyon ng korte (The court has spoken, so let us respect it. Let us respect the court’s decision),” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace briefing.
Castro explained that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized the need for airtight cases to avoid acquittals due to weak evidence.
“Ang gusto ng Pangulo kapag nagsampa ng kaso, hindi mabilisan. Dapat kumpleto ang ebidensiya (What the President wants when filing a case is not to rush. The evidence must be complete),” Castro said, noting that criminal cases require proof beyond reasonable doubt.
When asked whether the Palace’s response was too subdued given Enrile’s role as presidential legal counsel, Castro dismissed any perception of leniency, stressing that the Executive cannot interfere with judicial processes.
“Papaano po tayo makakapagbigay ng anumang impluwensiya sa korte? May separation of powers at kailangan nating igalang iyon (How can we exert any influence on the court? There is a separation of powers, and we must respect that),” she said.
“Kapag hindi po natin iginalang ang mga desisyon ng korte, magiging chaotic country po tayo (If we do not respect the court’s decisions, we will become a chaotic country),” Castro added.
The Sandiganbayan’s decision cleared Enrile, Reyes, and Napoles of multiple graft counts linked to the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ PDAF allocations.
The ruling cited insufficient evidence to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
