TULOY ANG PALABAS | Guingona rejects request to defer Napoles hearing to Nov. 18

By: Ernie Reyes, InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Teofisto Guingona III on Monday rejected the request made by Senator Sergio Osmena III to defer to November 18 the scheduled testimony of controversial businesswoman Janet Lm-Napoles on the pork barrel scam this Thursday.

“The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will push through with its November 7 hearing with Ms. Janet Lim-Napoles and the whistleblowers,” Guingona said in a text message.

Guingona, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon panel, said the hearing will start exactly at 10 a.m.

Last Sunday, Osmena urged Guingona to defer the Napoles testimony because most senators are out of town and will not be able to attend the November 7 hearing.

"I am requesting Senator TG Guingona to move the November 7 hearing to November 18, the day that Congress resumes. I am concerned that more than half the members of the Senate will be out of town since Congress is still on break," Osmeña said.

He added: "Senators must have the opportunity to propound questions to Mrs. Napoles. The credibility of the Senate would be enhanced by more openness and greater transparency."

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee has summoned Napoles to attend a hearing on November 7 at 10 a.m. to respond to testimonies made before the committee that she masterminded the so-called P10 billion pork scam that supposedly involved a number of senators and congressmen.


Former employees of Napoles have testified that the businesswoman was behind funneling billions of pesos worth of pork barrel funds of senators and congressmen into the accounts of fake non-government organizations (NGOs) set up by Napoles and her minions.