Benhur Luy now trending

Benhur Luy INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Today, Benhur K. Luy is the man of the hour.

Hundreds of Twitter users lauded on Thursday the undaunted principal whistle-blower of the P10 billion pork barrel scam.

For the first time, Luy appeared in the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, orchestrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her alleged lawmaker cohorts.

As Luy divulged in detail the PDAF activities of his superior and distant cousin, Napoles, and some legislators he refused to identify, positive tweets admiring Luy’s courage grew in numbers.

As of 3:30 pm, Benhur Luy topped the list of trending topics in the Philippines. The hashtag #porkbarrelprobe, Senate, De Lima were also included in the top ten.

Some praised Luy for his firmness and consistency as he gave vivid descriptions and accounts of how Napoles and the lawmakers transacted.

Others were sickened by his revelations on Napoles’ pork barrel shenanigans, but most Twitter users feared for Luy’s security.

Daughter of former Vice President Noli De Castro, television personality Kat de Castro (@KatDeCastro) said in her tweet “Someone give Benhur Luy the best security. Secret Service levels.”

Johanes Henrik Dimal (@johanesdimal) echoed de Castro and expressed concern for the whistle-blower. “Please give Benhur Luy your maximum security, NBI. His katapangan is very commendable,” he said.

What caught the netizens’ attention in the four-hour long senate probe was Luy’s impeccable narration and knowledge on the under-the-table transactions between his boss and the senators and congressmen.

A certain Gracie D with the username @dakila_G lauded Luy on Twitter saying “Benhur Luy’s knowledge of Napoles’ transactions, he knows it by heart, it’s everyday routine.”

Like many others, Maui Limsiaco (‏@MauiSays) also gave credit to Luy’s manner of responding to the senators.

“Despite redundant (often useless) questions by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Benhur Luy remains firm and consistent. #PorkBarrelScam,” he said in a tweet.

But there will always be skeptics on Luy’s testimonies.

“Can we really trust Benhur Luy? Hay. I don’t even know who to believe and trust in the government anymore. #AbusedPower #PorkBarrelProbe,” Charisse Yatco (@charisseyatco) said.

Patricia Malay (@patriciamalay), on the other hand, thought that the efforts of the whistle-blowers were all futile unless the government would be able to penalize the greedy politicians and Napoles.

“Benhur Luy remembering everything won’t matter unless these revelations lead to arrests, convictions and/or resignations,” she said.

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