Cayetano on pork plunder charges: The day of accounting has come
Give Filipino Families the Swift Justice they deserve

As "the day of accounting" has come for pork plunderers, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter "Companero" S. Cayetano said the Sandiganbayan must ensure that Filipino families get the swift but fair justice they deserve.

Citing a World Bank study, Cayetano pointed out that the average case processing time in the Sandiganbayan is nine to 10 years. As of 2012, the Sandiganbayan has almost 2,300 pending cases.

"We can no longer let this happen. Ipakita natin sa publiko na kaya natin silang bigyan ng mabilis na hustisya at hindi makakawala ang mga nagnakaw ng pera ng taumbayan. This is the best and strongest message the government can send na hindi nito ito-tolerate ang korupsyon," Cayetano said.

Cayetano made the statement following the filing of plunder charges against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., along with Janet Lim-Napoles, and other personalities at the Sandiganbayan today.

"The judiciary must now exercise political will by designating special criminal courts or divisions to expedite trials such as these. Otherwise, this is another case of 'justice delayed is justice denied'," Cayetano said.

"We must do everything to finish this and other high-profile cases involving the plunder of the people's money in 500 days or one and a half years. This should be more than enough if the Court prioritizes these cases. The evidence is there. The paper trail is there. The whistleblowers have risked their lives to reveal in their sworn testimonies what they know. Hindi ako naniniwala na hindi kayang pabilisin ang procesong ito." Cayetano said.

Cayetano stressed the need to swiftly resolve the plunder cases before the 2016 presidential elections.

"Dapat ang desisyon mangyari bago mag eleksyon para yung mga guilty will not benefit from a change in the administration by 2016," he said.