Duterte says turning Napoles into state witness is Aguirre’s strategy

President Rodrigo Duterte said he did not have a say on Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II decision to place Janet Lim-Napoles under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), for such move was Aguirre’s “own strategy.”

Speaking before his supporters during the gathering of Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC) on Wednesday night, the president said he does interfere in the decisions of his cabinet secretaries as he allows them to do things according to what they believe is right.

“I leave it all to them … Vit Aguiirre— I said, ‘Why is he being involved in Napoles?’ That’s his strategy,” Duterte said.

This came after the Department of Justice received numerous criticisms for its decision to temporarily include the alleged “pork barrel queen” in the WPP.

(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 03/ 23/18)