Statement of Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. at the hearing
on Senate Committee on Economic Affairs

I think we are now beginning to see the inquisition-type report that was formulated by the World Bank, meaning to say they come up with blanket denunciation, there are anomalies. And yet they do not want us to act officially on that report. I think that is so unfair, to say the least of the World Bank.

Confidential witnesses, well my goodness, that is good for the Inquisition. When people could come before official bodies to testify behind masks and refuse to submit themselves to scrutiny by the other side.

As a lawyer, we are in a bind here because we are asking people to testify. And we are trying to do this in the absence of an official report from the World Bank. Of course, they are well within their rights to deny any assertion by anyone under the guise of being a confidential witness implicating them generally speaking.

And I share their anxiety that they are being maligned unfairly, obviously when people say you are a crook, and then when you ask who are you, you come out in the open, he is nowhere to be found. Does that place our own integrity as a nation when we demand that the World Bank should come across with that official report, and not say it is confidential. My goodness, we just have to put our foot down, not because we are trying to collude and cover up the misdeeds of people. But even crooks have rights to be prosecuted under the rule of law. The problem in the country is so many people are so righteous that if they think this person is crook, they come out openly and say oh he is a crook. They put it in the website, they issue press statements.

But when are pressed to prove the point, they cannot do it. And so my point is probably, we should not put an end to these proceedings yet and await an official reply from the World Bank, perhaps followed up by the Senate president, to demand - Hofman is washing his hands like Pontius Pilate.

Probably, I am just airing my views or my own frustrations that in this valid search for truth, we are being stymied by all kinds of shenanigans - these are confidential, therefore you have no right to ask us the very accusations that have placed in doubt the integrity of the DPWH, of the contractors concerned and many other people.