Ruby Tuason: I chose truth over friendship

State witness Ruby Tuason (right) beside multi-billion pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles (Photo from Kickerdaily.com)

MANILA – State witness Ruby Tuason appeared before the Sandiganbayan on Monday and testified against detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada as she chose ‘truth over friendship.’

Tuason earlier admitted delivering about P19 million kickbacks to Estrada for projects from alleged multi-billion pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles in 2004 and 2008.

She recalled about eight deliveries of commissions from Napoles in her Pasig office to Estrada in his Greenhills home or Senate office. She also detailed that the kickbacks were in forms of cash placed in fake Harrods designer bags.

Tuason also reiterated one instance when she delivered Estrada’s kickbacks in his bar.

“Since there was traffic along Wilson Street, I just gave him the money from the window of my car. He was in another car,” she said.

Tuason decided to testify against Estrada after she was deserted by the former when she was linked to the pork scam. Tuason then went to the United States to seek refuge.

“I asked him (Estrada) for help. But he said, ‘How can I help you? We’re in the same boat… I asked her (Loi Estrada) if she could help me because I didn’t know what to do. But she said, ‘How can he help you when he’s also having problems?,’” she said.

“I realized something while I was in hiding. I thought they were my friends. But I guess they are not… I started to choose between friendship and telling the truth. I chose the truth,” she added.

From the Estrada’s words, Tuason realized that they were ‘distancing themselves from me.’

Estrada, for his part, downplayed Tuason’s testimonies.

“She’s very amusing, amusing in the sense that she can invent stories. She can invent lies,” he said.

“Remember what she told the Senate blue ribbon committee why she testified against me? She said, ‘Because I fear for my life. I’d rather die than go to jail.’ That means she just wants to save herself. She wants to save her skin at my expense,” he added.

Tuason was also accused of receiving P242 million from her transactions under the pork barrel scam. She later on returned P40 million to the government, asserting that the said amount was all she received from the kickbacks.