By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday emphasized the need for potential witnesses involved in the flood control controversy to fully cooperate by disclosing everything they know and returning any ill-gotten wealth they may have accumulated.
This, after controversial contractor couple Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya recently met with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to discuss the possibility of becoming government witnesses.
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro acknowledged that the law does not explicitly require witnesses to meet conditions such as returning stolen assets before being granted protection under the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Castro, however, stressed that under Republic Act (RA) 6981, witnesses must “cooperate with respect to all reasonable requests of officers and employees of the Government who are providing protection under this Act.”
She added that the DOJ has the discretion to impose reasonable conditions for admission into the WPP.
“Unang-una po, kapag sinabi po natin na sasalang dito, sila po ay kinakailangang magsalita, magsabi ng katotohanan, buong katotohanan – tell all, kumbaga. Kapag sinabi nilang ‘tell all’, ibig sabihin pati iyong liabilities nila ay dapat na maisiwalat (First and foremost, when we say that someone will testify, they are expected to speak out and disclose the truth—the whole truth. ‘Tell all’, means they must also reveal any liabilities or involvement on their part),” she said.
“At kapag may pag-amin na sa kanilang naisiwalat na kanilang diumano’y pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan, hindi po ba nararapat din na isauli nila ito upang makita ang kanilang good faith instead na hintayin pa na ang gobyerno ang magsampa ng kaso sa kanila (And once they admit to their alleged involvement in the misuse of public funds, wouldn’t it be appropriate for them to return the money as a gesture of good faith, instead of waiting for the government to file charges).”
Castro said government resources will be used to protect the potential witnesses, making their full cooperation crucial to ensuring accountability and justice.
She said they should not wait for legal action for the recovery of stolen funds, stressing that it is only proper for them to return their ill-gotten wealth to demonstrate good faith.
“Ang mga witness na nagnanais ng proteksiyon mula sa gobyerno ay humihingi ng tulong sa gobyerno, hindi po ba dapat din na sila ay magbalik sa gobyerno habang sila ay pinuproteksyunan (Witnesses seeking protection from the government are essentially asking for its assistance—so shouldn’t they also reciprocate by cooperating fully while under that protection),” Castro said.
“Gagastusan sila ng gobyerno, so kailangan din po na sila ay tumulong sa gobyerno (The government will be shouldering the costs for their security; it is only fitting that they, in turn, assist the government).” (PNA)
