Accompanied by his lawyers and security escorts, Rabusa, a former budget officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, met with WPP acting director Martin Meñez before they met Justice Secretary Leila de Lima behind closed doors.

Rabusa declined to speak with the members of the media, saying he was not feeling well and that he had difficulty speaking.

In a news briefing after their hour-long meeting, De Lima said the former military budget officer submitted an affidavit in support of his application for coverage by the witness protection program.

According to De Lima, Rabusa also wanted immunity from suits following his revelations at a recent Senate hearing on alleged graft and corruption in the military.

“This (affidavit) is for purposes of witness protection and immunity,” the justice secretary said.

De Lima said Rabusa and his lawyer, Noel Malaya, disclosed to her the threats they have been receiving on their mobile phones.

The secretary said that Rabusa, who is now under the Senate’s protective custody, would be provisionally under the WPP beginning Saturday.

She said Rabusa promised to submit a more detailed complaint-affidavit on Monday which might be used as basis for the filing of criminal cases against former Armed Forces chiefs Angelo Reyes, Roy Cimatu and Diomedio Villanueva.

Rabusa accused the three of receiving hundreds of millions of pesos in “pabaon” (send-off money) when they retired from the military service.

Marlon Ramos, Tetch Torres, Phil. Daily Inquirer