Marcoleta: Restitution belongs in court, not WPP screening

Senator Rodante Marcoleta said the Department of Justice cannot make restitution a prerequisite for entry into the Witness Protection Program (WPP), arguing that the law leaves the determination of amounts to the courts after due process.

Speaking in a Wednesday morning interview on DZRH, Marcoleta stressed that the program’s first consideration is safeguarding applicants.

“Maling mali naman iyon. Lagi nating sinasabi na no one is above the law. Kaya nga nandoon kami para gumawa ng batas. Kung iyong ginawa naming batas ay isasantabi natin, wala na sa katwiran iyon,” he said, referencing Senator Erwin Tulfo's comments on Tuesday calling on government to heed the demands of protestors to seek restitution from those involved in flood control corruption before going through the courts.

“The voice of the people is the voice of God," Tulfo had said during Tuesday's Senate plenary, using the Latin phrase vox populi, vox dei.

“Ang sinasabi ko mag-aapply pa lang ang tao [sa witness protection program]. Ang isinasaalang-alang na priority ay ang kaligtasan niya. Ngayon kung sinasabi mong magsasauli siya, sino ang mag-de-determine kung magkano ang isasauli. Korte lang naman ang nagsasabi noon,” Marcoleta said.

The remarks followed a tense Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing where Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said restitution, while not in the statute, should be considered as a matter of moral accountability amid alleged multibillion-peso losses in flood control contracts. Tulfo separately demanded that those behind the schemes return stolen funds.

Marcoleta maintained that WPP coverage may shield cooperating individuals from criminal prosecution but not from civil liability determined by the courts.

“Ang sabi ko maaari silang makaligtas sa criminial prosecution. Ang magiging pananagutan na lang ay ang civil liability,” he said. “Iyon ang dilemma ng batas. Kaya nga ang nangyayari ay pagkatapos para sa ganoon, processed na lahat. Paano kukwentahin [kung before pa magkaso].”

The DOJ is currently assessing the WPP application of contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, alleged key players in the flood-control controversy.