Napoles implicates 35 more lawmakers Macon Ramos-Araneta Janet Lim Napoles, alleged mastermind in the pork barrel scam, implicated 120 past and incumbent lawmakers and 14 people in six government agencies in her latest affidavit. Napoles’ list contained the names of 20 senators and 100 congressmen, including three trusted lieutenants of President Benigno Aquino III -- Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Tesda secretary-general Joel Villanueva. Signed affidavits. Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III shows off to reporters the signed affidavits of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles bearing the supposed names of those involved in the scam. The affidavits were submitted by Napoles’ lawyer Bruce Rivera (inset). Ey Acasio She submitted on Monday her 33-page affidavit to the Justice Department which in turn furnished a copy to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Current senators mentioned in the affidavit are Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, and Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr., Gregorio Honasan, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Aquilino Pimentel III, Vicente Sotto III, Cynthia Villar, and Francis Escudero. Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are facing plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged diversion of their pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) set up by Napoles. The former senators on the list are Rodolfo Biazon, the late Robert Barbers, Loi Estrada, Robert Jaworski, Ramon Magsaysay, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Senator Manny Villar. The names of former senator Manny Villar, Cayetano and Escudero appear under the heading “Campaign Funds Only.” A certain Jun Mariano appeared as the agent for Villar while there was no agent for Cayetano and Escudero. Abad and Villanueva, both members of Aquino’s Liberal Party, appears under the heading “Congressmen.” Their agents were listed as Manuel Jarmin and Maite Defensor, respectively. Alcala’s name was under the Department of Agriculture, one of the six agencies tagged by Napoles in the P10 billion pork barrel scam. The other agencies involved in the scam are the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), the Transportation and Communications Department, the National Livelihood Development Corp., and the Technology Resource Center. Napoles also tagged actor Matt Ranillo and his wife, Lyn, as having dealt in pork barrel funds. In her affidavit, Napoles said she met Abad when he was still a congressman of Batanes through Manuel Jarmine of the Agriculture Department. She said they met in a Japanese restaurant in the Edsa Shangri-La Plaza Hotel, where she showed him a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and gave him P2 million. When the Notice Of Cash Allocation came out, she again gave Abad P2 million, Napoles said. She recalled Abad asking her if she had an NGO or a cooperative. When she answered No, Abad said he would take care of it. She said Abad used Batanes Electric Cooperative to implement his projects. Later on, he returned to her P4 million with an additional P2 million. Napoles also remembered funneling P12.3 million in Villanueva’s pork to various agencies in 2008. She said she dealt with Defensor, who got the kickbacks on behalf of the former congressman. Napoles insisted in her affidavit that she was not the mastermind of the pork barrel scam since she did not start it. She said the system has been going on for a long time. She also said she was not the most guilty, because she was not an elected or appointed government official who was responsible for public funds. “There are big personalities who influenced and provided me with extensive knowledge on government transactions. I have learned from C[congressman] Butch Abad that [an] NGO or cooperative is needed to make business with agencies,” Napoles said. Napoles said all transactions using the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of lawmakers involved actual deliveries. She said implementing agencies sent inspection teams and the coordinators of lawmakers joined the deliveries. However, she said there were no deliveries in transactions for funds used in the elections. “There were no deliveries because Ruby Tuason (former social secretary of ex-President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada) got the delivery intended for some products. In the end, it was discovered that these funds came from the Malampaya [fund] which I mentioned in my affidavit last May 12, 2014,” Napoles said. “Now if there’s a chance for an investigation about this issue, witnessed by the public, I think this is the right time to correct the wrong system towards the righteous path,” Napoles’ statement read. She also said that her husband Jimmy, a former soldier, and their children, had nothing to do with the transactions involving the lawmakers’ PDAF. Because of this, she appealed to the Ombudsman to spare their children Jo Christine and James Christopher. Napoles’ lawyer and spokesman Bruce Rivera said Napoles completed her detailed affidavit Monday. Rivera said Napoles had in her possession checks, vouchers and transaction records to support her statements. Another Napoles’ lawyer Stephen David said a number of people have visited her asking her to remove their names from the list. Napoles refused to identify the vsitors, however. The lawyer also admitted that his client wanted immunity in exchange for turning state witness. “We’re not hypocrites. Nobody wants to be in jail, so she wants to be a state witness and to be given immunity but that is not the main reason she is talking,” he said. Senators Paolo Aquino and Cynthia Villar said they were not in favor of granting Napoles immunity. “The government should not spare anyone in this investigation. If they do, it will send a wrong signal to the public that anyone can pocket billions and get away with it easily,” said Aquino. “How can her children be spared from this investigation when whistleblowers revealed that they were the ones forging the signatures of Malampaya fund ghost beneficiaries?” he added. Villar also took Napoles to task for lying when she appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and said she knew nothing about the pork barrel scam. Napoles was charged with plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman, along with Enrile, Estrada and Revilla. Napoles’ two children, Jo Christine and James Christoper, were also charged with violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Napoles, still in the Ospital ng Makati after surgery to remove her uterus, could be sent back to her detention cell in a police camp in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, if Judge Elmo Almeda, who is trying a case of serious illegal detention against her, decides against her on Thursday. Napoles lists Senators Rodolfo Biazon Robert Barbers Juan Ponce Enrile Jinggoy Estrada Loi Estrada Gringo Honasan Robert Jaworski Lito Lapid Loren Legarda Ramon Magsaysay Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Tessie Oreta Aquilino Pimentel Koko Pimentel Ramon Revilla Jr. Vicente Sotto Cynthia Villar Manny Villar (Campaign funds only) Manny Villar Allan Peter Cayetano Chiz Escudero Congressman Florencio Abad Benjamin Agarao Rodolfo Albano Prospero Amatong Bellaflor Angara Iggy Arroyo Mikey Arroyo Amado Bagatsing Leovigildo Ranaag Salacnib Baerina Napoleon Beratio Ruffy Biazon Marc Douglas Cagas Leonila Chavez Erwin Chiongbian Joaquin Chipeco Antonio Cuenco Samuel Dangwa Matias Defensor Raul Del Mar Digaden Dilangalen Abdullah Dimaporo Zenaida Ducut Glenda Ecleo Yevgeny Vicente Emano Edgar Espinosa Conrad III Estrella Reymund Estrella Erico Fabian Jesmar Falcon Peter Falcon Florencio Flores Arnulfo Fuentebella Gerald Guillas Uliran Joaquin Constantino Jaraula Antonio Jr. Lagdameo Rizalina Seachon Lanete Scott Davies Lanete Marcelino Libanan Benasing Jr. Macarambon Sunny Rose Madamba Eulogio Magsaysay Oscar Malapitan Clavel Martinez Roger Mercado Florencio Miraflores Anthony Miranda Neil Benedict Ernesto “Bansal” Nieva Arrel Olano Manuel Ortega Victor Ortega Ernesto Pablo Carlos Padilla Hussein Pangandaman Nasser Pangandaman Prospero Pichay Arthur Pinggoy Rodolfo Plaza Herminia Ramiro Maximo Rodriguez Oca Rodriguez Rufus Rodriguez Jurdin Jesus Romualdo Perdo Romualdo Ricky Sandoval Vicente Sandoval Joseph Santiago Jose Solis Rolex Suplicio Generoso Tulagan Alfonso “Boy” Umali Aurelio “Oyi” Umali Reynaldo Umali Isidro Ungab Renato Unico Edgar Valdez Rodolfo Valencia Eduardo Veloso Joel Villanueva Hermida Yumul Manuel Zamora Wilhemino Alvardo Julieta Cortuna Nanette Costello Daza Recom Echeverri Jesli Lapuz Narciso Monfort Rafael Nantes Prospero Nograles Ernesto Pablo Maria Valentina Plaza Antonio Roman Jurdin Jesus Romualdo Rodolfo San Luis Eduardo Zialcita
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 18:11:18 +0000