Now everyone wants to be a state witness

Before this whole flood corruption mess unraveled, grapevine talk on who the key players and masterminds were.

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Whispers spoke about DPWH engineers, contractors, lawmakers and people in power, including some of those in Malacañang.

When the investigation started, many of those rumored to be involved were mentioned, plus many more names, including perhaps diversionary name-dropping. What was becoming clear was that there were too many players involved in this insertionsand-kickbacks scheme that the easier question to ask was: who isn't part of it?

And yet, everyone seemingly involved in this organized crime just wants to be a state witness - no doubt the easy way out.

But authorities must be careful in allowing who could actually be a state witness in the Philippines, especially in a crime as massive as this flood control thievery.

What does it take to be a state witness?

There are several qualifications to be a state witness in the Philippines, according to several law websites and online sources such as the Senate Legislative Digital Resources, the Revised Penal Code, LawPhil, the Supreme Court e-Library, etc.

See below:

Participation in a crime. For sure, the person must have actually participated in the commission of a crime.

Absolute necessity of testimony. There must be an absolute necessity for that person's testimony, meaning the testimony of the said witness has enough weight for the cases against the other criminals to progress.

Substantial corroboration. To be admitted to the Witness Protection Program of the government, his or her testimony must be substantially corroborated, which means that other pieces of evidence must support what the state witness claims.