No holds barred

THE outspoken senator strikes again.
While Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was busy grilling Janet Lim-Napoles at the senate hearing on Thursday, her quips were also trending in social media.
Leaving her sickbed for the senate investigation on the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Santiago was merciless in her line of questioning, albeit in a more composed tone.
“Tell the truth before the senators affected have you assassinated, that is your path to safety,” were Santiago’s words of advice to Napoles.
However, Napoles was adamant about keeping her silence, answering questions mostly in the negative or invoking her right against self-incrimination.
On exercising her right, Santiago had this to say:  “Many people want you dead. That’s why I’m telling you as a lawyer to tell us what you want to say so that they can no longer have you killed,” adding that those involved in the pork barrel scam would continue to perceive her as a threat.
“But if you tell us [what you know] now, they will no longer have a motive to kill you because your motive is already there. And that is under oath, affidavit or even a dying declaration, for all you know, and a dying declaration is very strong evidence,” Santiago said.
“They’re not only homicidal, they are also murderous. They’re planning on murder. So, while it is still early tell us who’s the most guilty among those involved,” Santiago further added.
Napoles responded, saying that she doesn’t know who are involved.
“You don’t know? I know.  Because his empire is quite wide,” Santiago said.
Santiago went on to say that Napoles cannot be the “most guilty” in the pork barrel scam due to her lack of “sophistication.”
“You’re not exposed to sophisticated lifestyle like in Metro Manila that’s why it can be said that you came from a poor family,” the senator concluded.
Santiago advised Napoles to divulge the most guilty to the committee  “so that he can’t transfer being the most guilty to (Napoles).”
“That person is listening to us. He doesn’t show himself, that’s his style, but he’s listening. He has a lot of money and after this he will order his minions to put me down,” the senator said, alluding to Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, whom she has had a deep-seated animosity since late 2012.
The senator also asked Napoles if the “Sexy” and “Pogi” the whistleblowers were referring to are Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, respectively.
To both questions, Napoles replied that she does not know and once again, invoked her right against self-incrimination.
During the course of the senate hearing, Santiago also did not mince words when it came to the media, saying that there are paid hacks and public relations officers “who smear reputations and confuse issues,” according to Rappler.com.
Santiago said that there are “press agents, cockroaches or a—holes” who go around the media to pay journalists (even editors) to write negative publicity about their bosses’ rivals or to protect their own bosses.
According to the senator, there are PR agents who paid journalists to direct public attention to the Aquino administration’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) instead of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Despite Santiago’s harshness in her job as a senator, Filipinos have come to appreciate her brutal frankness.
Her “doused-with-cold-water” quips and merciless interrogation may seem cruel, but it has set a new standard for public opinion.
In a society like the Philippines, where niceties, humaneness and compassion are the perceived norms of conduct and ethical behavior,  perhaps it’s about time that we become less forgiving towards audacious, unscrupulous and corrupt government officials.
(AJPress)