PNoy should let Napoles pay for jail stay – Miriam
MANILA — Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago yesterday criticized the apparent excessive government spending for the detention of suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
In her speech during the business law conference of the De La Salle University, Santiago said Napoles now enjoys a “rock star status” due to the treatment being given to her.
Santiago compared the amount of public funds being spent for Napoles and for an ordinary prisoner.
She pointed out that the government shells out P5,000 daily for the businesswoman while only P54 is spent for the regular detainee.
For an entire year, the government would spend P1.8 million for Napoles but only P20,000 for the ordinary jailed person, according to the senator.
Santiago said there is no reason for the government to pay so much money for an individual who refuses to cooperate and who had “stubbornly insisted on the right to remain silent during Senate hearings.” The senator said Napoles must be compelled to choose to either stay in a regular jail or be detained in a facility at her own expense.
“I humbly propose that President Aquino should save public funds by allowing detention prisoners to pay for their stay,” Santiago said in a Twitter post.
Santiago said this is called the “Pay-for-Stay” program in the United States.
Napoles is currently jailed in Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna in connection with the serious illegal detention charges filed against her by pork barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy.
The businesswoman is also facing plunder charges after being accused of conspiring with lawmakers and officials to embezzle their pork barrel funds.
She allegedly pocketed kickbacks from the funds diverted to the ghost non-government organizations she supposedly set up.