Whistleblower Heidi Mendoza receives death threat

(Updated 1:36 p.m.) Two days before she is scheduled to testify anew before Congress on alleged financial irregularities in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, former state auditor turned whistleblower Heidi Mendoza received a death threat, a lawmaker said Sunday. House of Representatives justice committee chairman Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. said they are coordinating with government agencies to secure Mendoza and her family. "Nakatanggap siya ng death threat. Hindi ko sasabihin ang detalye. Pinaabot niya sa akin kagabi, o madaling araw, nakakatanggap sila (She received a death threat. I will not discuss the details. She relayed it to me last night, or before dawn, they received it)," Tupas said in an interview on radio dzBB. It was the first time for Mendoza to receive a death threat, Tupas said. The justice committee chair has started coordinating with other agencies including the Department of Justice to secure Mendoza. "Vine-verify natin kung gaano kaseryoso yan (We verifying how serious this is)," he said. Tomorrow, Monday, Tupas will meet House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on other measures that can be taken to protect Mendoza. Mendoza gained public support in past weeks when she testified on alleged corruption in the military. As her life and those of her immediate family were turned upside down because of the controversy regarding her allegations, she had asked to be removed from the list of resource persons. But on Friday, she said she would testify before the House of Representatives come Tuesday for the sake of her supporters. "Sana lang ipagdasal natin na maging maayos ang takbo ng hearing sa House sa Tuesday. It is for your sake that I am appearing again. Please continue to pray (Let us pray that Tuesday's hearing will go well…)," she said in a support group page on Facebook. Mendoza also asked her supporters for their opinion on whether she should return to government service again. "’Yun nga lang may kapalit po ito. Kung sinong sasagot ng Oo ay dapat na sumumpa ng pagsuporta sa mga pagbabago at paglalahad ng katotohanan na aking syang isusulong (Still, there is something in return for this. Whoever would say Yes should make a pledge of support to the changes and accounting of truth that I would pursue)," she said. Protecting whistleblowers A proposed law seeking to protect whistleblowers who expose irregularities in government has a good chance of being included in Malacañang’s list of priority bills, according to a Palace official. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang said there had been discussions among Cabinet officials about the bill. “I know there was discussion about it being part of that (list). It’s very possible kasama ang Whistleblowers’ Act (It’s very possible the Whistleblowers’ Act is included), although I personally haven’t seen the list," he said on government-run dzRB radio. The need to protect whistleblowers gained national attention after Mendoza’s revelations about the supposed irregularities in the AFP. Under oath before lawmakers, Mendoza, retired Col. George Rabusa, and Lt. Col. Antonio Lim testified that tens of millions of pesos were being handed out as “pabaon" or sendoff money in the military. — VS, GMA News Online