MANILA – Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon on Thursday said contractor couple Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya cannot set conditions in exchange for their bid to become state witnesses.

“I don’t think they’re in a position to demand anything at this time. They’re applying for supposedly witness protection coverage. And we have our procedures to determine whether or not they will be qualified,” Fadullon told reporters.

“It is not for anybody to dictate to us how we will go about doing the evaluation. It is not for anybody to impose any conditions. In fact, we will do the evaluation and determine whether or not they will be qualified to be admitted into the program,” he added.

Fadullon explained that to qualify under the Witness Protection Program, applicants must have minimal participation in the criminal acts they are testifying on, must fully cooperate with authorities, and must return any public funds they received.

“Kapag nage-evaluate ka kasi, hindi pwede yung sabihin mo na, kaliwaan tayo (Once you are being evaluated as a state witness, you cannot say ‘let’s deal right now’). I’ll give a statement, give us security,” he said.

He added that a credible state witness must be able to give a complete and detailed account of the case.

“Is it enough that you mention names? Is it enough that you mention amounts of money given to certain people? You have to be able to validate that and go into the details, the specifics. Saan nangyari ‘yan? Sinong kausap ninyo? What was the mode of giving it? Was it in cash or was it by bank transfer?” Fadullon said.

“All of these are being asked or going to be asked to determine credibility. Because you cannot just simply run around mentioning people’s names without being able to give supporting documents or evidence to show that it did really happen. Ang iniisip kasi ng mga tao (What people are thinking) is blanket immunity,” he added.

Fadullon also said the Discayas have not officially informed the Department of Justice (DOJ) that they no longer intend to cooperate with the government, contrary to reports from the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI).

“Nabigla kami (We were surprised), but as far as the department is concerned, wala pa naman pahiwatig na sila ay hindi magpapatuloy makipag-usap sa amin (There are no indications that they will discontinue talks with the DOJ),” he said. (PNA)