For me, the easier thing to do is how to deal with the Napoles affidavit. From a legal and probative (as evidence) point of view, I think the affidavit is irrelevant and should not be taken seriously. I will not take her word even against the three senators already accused – Enrile, Estrada and Revilla. To present her as a witness against those three would be legal suicide for the prosecution. Her testimony will only weaken the case against them. I will also certainly not use the affidavit of Napoles as a basis of filing charges against the likes of Secretaries Butch Abad and Alcala, or against Senators Legarda, Koko and Nene Pimentel, Angara, etc. This view was based on my personal knowledge of them and after reviewing the affidavit of Napoles; nothing she states there has changed my mind. Previously, I have already stated my belief that I cannot imagine these good men and women in the Napolist as being part of the PDAF scam. I would add the names of Senator Jun Magsaysay and Antonio Eduardo Nachura, both eminent personalities known for their probity and integrity, to that group I would not conceive as being part of any scam. Take the case of Secretary Abad and the allegations against him. What is good about the assertions of Napoles in her affidavit is that they can be verified by documents. For example, does the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) she claims she showed Sec. Abad exists? Where is it and what does it contain? The Batanes Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BATANELCO) has already affirmed it was never a recipient of a ten million-peso fund with SARO, contrary to the allegation of Janet Napoles in her statement. BATANELCO has even listed all their projects and the funds from them and none fits the Napoles claim. As far as I am concerned, Secretary Abad has nothing to worry about if this is the only thing Napoles has to say about him. Incidentally, people have asked me why I have consistently stood by Secretary Abad in this corruption crisis when we are not even close personal friends? Some of my readers and Facebook friends are concerned that I am staking my credibility in this defense of Abad. The answer is really simple – in the toxic politics of our country, you have to have trust on people. I cannot be in the business of teaching politicans and public officials if I am going to be overly cynical and skeptical of everyone in the system. You also have to trust your own judgment based on an objective appreciation of facts. Of course, Secretary Abad is not a saint and I know he is a politician, but it is precisely because of this that I support him. We need people in the system who is committed to reforms for good governance and who are passionate for social justice. Thirty-five years of watching Butch and his wife Dina Abad in their public lives is enough basis for my trust. At the same time, I do examine the claims and evidence and is open to changing my mind if in fact there is a basis for doing so.
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 00:01:46 +0000
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