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MANILA - Administration critics on Friday warned the Duterte administration against making Janet Lim Napoles a "weapon for blackmail" against its enemies.

• Janet Napoles placed under witness protection

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, who was among those who filed corruption and plunder cases against Napoles for the pork barrel scam, said Napoles should not go scot-free and her testimony must be used to hold all of those involved in the pork barrel scam cases accountable.

"We are warning the Duterte administration wag nilang pam-political blackmail lang si Janet Lim Napoles para matuloy ang lahat na binabalak nito," he said.

“Isang tingin natin dito ay baka ginagamit itong paglagay sa kaniya sa WPP para i-weaponize siya, gawin siyang political weapon to run after the critics of the present administration," he added.

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin had the same sentiment and said it could be a move to "silence any opposition...using DOJ’s prosecutorial powers, using discredited witnesses like convicted drug lords and Napoles."

"Even without sufficient evidence, cases are filed and projected in the media to condition our minds that the accused are guilty even without trial to strike fear on their targets. The fake war on drugs that killed thousands and put to prison Sen De Lima, however, did not get its desired result of silencing the opposition of our people," he said.

Zarate believes Napoles may be used against former President Aquino and former Budget Secretary Butch Abad, as well as other personalities linked to the previous administration who are now in the opposition.

“Okay kung ang paglalagay sa kaniya sa WPP kung hanggang hahabulin at hahabulin sila Noynoy Aquino at Butch Abad pero kung hindi ito ang tutunguhin baka may ibang agenda ang present administration dapat labanan ito ng mamamayan," he said.

Zarate believes what happened to Napoles is similar to what happened to Kerwin Espinosa, whose testimony was used against Duterte critic Leila de Lima.

“Nakita na natin kung paano ginamit na-weaponize din ang the like of Kerwin Espinosa noon para habulin si Leila de Lima, ngayon gusto nila gamitin si Janet Lim Napoles para habulin ang kritiko nito si Noynoy Aquino, si Butch Abad, lahat sa previous administration na sa oposisyon ngayon," he said.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said, “Pagkatapos maabswelto ang mga drug lord, abswelto naman ngayon ang pork barrel queen. Ang rehimen ni Duterte ang numero unong protektor ng mga panginoon ng krimen at katiwalian.”

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said, “Talagang pinapatunayan ni Aguirre na Department of Fake Justice ang kanyang ahensya. Pagkatapos maabswelto ang mga drug lord, abswelto naman ngayon ang pork barrel queen na si Janet Napoles.”

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, meanwhile, pressed for Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II’s resignation.

“It is unfortunate how skewed justice has become before the eyes of the very institution mandated to uphold and protect it. The most guilty now becomes the state witness," he said.

“I call on Secretary Aguirre to resign and spare the whole DOJ from further destruction and embarrassment. His failure to perform his duties with utmost competence and fairness has been a huge disappointment. Even the drug trade inside the Bilibid continues to flourish under his watch. Him remaining as the fore bringer of justice is an insult to the Filipino people.”

Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros called the DOJ's move "a travesty of justice."

“This is expected, however. After all, this is the same government that used the testimonies of convicted and self-confessed drug lords (who have everything to gain and nothing to lose) to intimidate and unjustly incarcerate one of the leading figures of the political opposition.”

“That being the case, I would not be surprised if Napoles would also be used as a political weapon to further harass the other members of the political opposition and create a chilling effect," she added.

Senator Bam Aquino sought justice for lives taken under the government's drug war.

“Sa loob ng isang linggo, napalaya ng Department of Justice ang mga drug lord at naipasok ang reyna ng pork barrel scam sa witness protection program. Nasaan ang hustisya para sa mga biktima ng war on drugs at para sa taumbayang nanakawan ng pinaghirapang yaman?" he said.

“We’d like to remind the DOJ that their mandate is to enact justice for the Filipino people, not to protect drug lords and criminal masterminds."

Senate President Koko Pimentel, meanwhile, called the development crazy.

“What an unbelievable 'crazy' development. Do some people in the DOJ really believe that Janet Lim Napoles is qualified to be a state witness in the PDAF scam which she herself invented organized and perpetuated???”

Napoles’ admission into the state witness protection program is not new and was first floated in the early days of the Duterte administration.

In August 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte himself first talked about the possibility of reopening the pork barrel scam cases.

“Wait until we revisit the Napoles case, Secretary or Senator De Lima, and I assure you, you will be horrified,” the president said in a press conference in Davao City.

On May 11, 2017, Aguirre himself revealed they are studying making Napoles a witness in the pork barrel scam. Former Napoles confidante Benhur Luy’s’ testimony was used by the Aquino administration to jail senators Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and Juan Ponce Enrile.

Aguirre met with Napoles’ lawyer Stephen David on the matter of her becoming a state witness. The DOJ chief said her being a witness won’t affect her pork cases.

Napoles is facing trial for plunder but she was acquitted in May 2017 as well of the serious illegal detention charge filed against her by erstwhile associate Benhur Luy.