An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has asked lawmakers and other public officials implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel scam to go on leave ahead of government investigation of their role in the racket.
Broderick Pabillo, Manila auxiliary bishop and CBCP public affairs committee chairman, on Wednesday said the alleged scammers named in various lists supposedly given by Janet Lim Napoles should file a six-month to one-year leave of absence or until the probe will have been completed.
The lists are those in the possession of former senator Panfilo Lacson, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Benhur Luy, scam whistleblower.
Lacson’s list carries the names of nine of the 25 incumbent senators and Luy’s, 15.
De Lima’s list, which was signed by Napoles, only has three senators so far.
Lacson’s list contains the names of 80 lawmakers, who Pabillo said would not be missed if they went on official leave.
“Hayaan mo muna . . . ano ba ginagawa ng Congress natin? May ginagawa ba sila?
Anong ma-mimiss natin except itong mag-scandal [Let those congressmen go on leave . . . what is our Congress doing anyway? Are the lawmakers there doing anything?
What will we miss except the scandal that they had created?],” the Manila auxiliary bishop noted.
Pabillo urged de Lima to make her list public because it is a “public document” that should not be hidden from the people.