Reports said Napoles arrived at Bicutan from Fort Sto. Domingo, a police camp in Sta. Rosa City , Laguna at 11:15 p.m.
Napoles has been charged with graft, plunder and serious illegal detention in connection with the misuse of the multi-billion Priority Development Assistance involving three senators – Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, members of their staff and other personalities.
She joined at the BJMP co-accused Atty. Gigi Reyes, former chief-of-staff of Enrile.
Luchi’s name was mentioned in Inquirer’s May 18 issue as one of the mediamen in the list of those who “received” cash gifts from Napoles through a certain Mon Arroyo,former television director.
The documents, Inquirer said, were contained in the hard disk given to them by the mother of Benhur Luy, one of the whistleblowers in the Napoles PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam, and Levi Baligod, former lawyer of Luy way back on April 27, 2013 when the two visited the Inquirer office.
Among working journalists, we have a term “didal.” That is used when a PR (press relations officer) pockets the money intended for a reporter.
If a reporter finds out that his name was in the list and he didn’t get anything, we tease him, “Na didal ka.”
(Accepting money from a source for a story is unethical and is denounced in the practice of journalism. A reporter writes a story because he has discovered something that would be of interest and beneficial to the people and not because someone paid him to do it.
(The reality, however, is that there are PRs whose job should only be to facilitate access to his principal, who payoff media to promote his principal. This is a bad practice.)
We are told that these days the new term for “didal” is “bukol.”
We suspect that’s what happened to ABS-CBN’s Korina Sanchez and GMA 7’s Mike Enriquez.
An Inquirer report said according to the documents submitted by PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, pork barrel queen Janet Napoles paid off a number of media personalities.
“You just have to trust me that I’m not gonna do that na isa-sanitize ko yung list. Pangako ko po yan sa taumbayan na hindi ko yan gagawin na isa-sanitize. Pangako ko rin sa taumbayan na gagawin ko yung mandato in a very responsible and prudent manner . Kaya kailangan munang magkaroon ng vetting,” De Lima was quoted to have said.
Malacañang supports De Lima’s non-disclosure of the Napoles list while she is still “vetting” the names in it.
Hindi naman siguro tanga si Justice Secretary Leila de Lima para hindi niya maisip kung bakit pilit na gusto makipagkita sa kanya si Janet Napoles at gusto kumanta.
Maraming pagkakataon si Napoles na magsabi ng buong katotohanan tungkol sa panloloko at pagnakaw ng bilyun-bilyon na pera sa taumbayan ngunit hindi niya ginawa. Nang dumalo siya sa hearing ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committtee, wala siyang sinabi. Puro wala siyang alam samantalang nanumpa siya na magsabi na buong katotohanan. “Nothing but the truth,” sabi sa kanyang oath.
Iba na raw ang kuwento ni Napoles nang binisita ni De Lima sa Ospital ng Makati. Nagdawit pa raw siya ng maraming senador at congressman. Merong may nagsabi na 19 na senador daw ang sa kanyang affidavit, meron namang nagsabing 12.
Ngunit hindi raw nila pinag-usapan ang pagiging state witness ni Napoles.
Sinong tanga ang maniniwala na kakanta si Napoles na walang kapalit? Konsyensya daw.
Santiago was spot on in her observation that Napoles could not be stupid considering the pork barrel operator’s rise from her humble beginnings in Basilan to her being filthy rich today. In a press conference, Santiago said she thinks Napoles’ gall diverting money intended for the poor to private pockets of lawmakers, government officials as well as hers comes from ignorance. She said Napoles is used to cutting deals and she thinks she will be able to get away with plunder, which could put her in prison for 20 to 40 years, by cutting another deal.
One of those who monitored the hearing, Ginny Fabie, a member of the Concerned Citizens Movement, observed that Santiago used military interrogation tactics. Scaring her one moment (“Gusto nilang patayin ka, andiyan sa utak mong ‘yan ang pagkakasira ng, di lamang kayaman, pati buhay nila. Importante malagyan duct tape ang mukha mo” ) and giving her advice to turn state witness another moment after she got the businesswoman to admit that she is not the most guilty (“Gantihan mo na habang buhay ka pa.”)
By VERA Files
Two whistleblowers in the pork barrel scam said Thursday that a former Malacañang consultant sold his Rockwell condo unit to Janet L. Napoles, allegedly the brains of the pork barrel scam that has dragged the names of a number of lawmakers and their staff.
Marina Sula and Benhur Luy said they saw Yamsuan twice in Napoles office in Discovery Suites. “Nagpunta kasi siya sa office sa Discovery, mayroon siyang in-offer na condo sa Rockwell na nakapangalan sa misis niya na binili ni Ms. Janet Napoles,” Sula told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigating the anomalous use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
But the sale of the three-bedroom unit was not completed because of incomplete documentary requirements, the two said.
VERA Files earlier reported that Yamsuan, a consultant in the office of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa, was fired last Aug. 12 when President Aquino learned of his links with Napoles after his name was mentioned in the interview by Inquirer editors and columnists with the controversial pork barrel operator, the transcript of which was run by the newspaper verbatim.
Estrada is one of three senators (the two others are Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Juan Ponce-Enrile) charged with plunder in connection with the anomalous use of their PDAF as allegedly operated by Janet Lim Napoles.
Estrada, in his 90 minute speech, never denied his involvement with Napoles’ scam. His complaint was, why only the three of us?
It is distressing because what we are seeing is a quarrel among thieves. But we console ourselves with the wise words of old folks that “When cattle rustlers quarrel, the farmer gets back his cow.”
Ang buhay talaga. When it rains, it pours. Kapag umulan, talagang buhos.
Noong isang linggo, kasama sa sinampahan si Revilla ng plunder o pandarambong. Ayun sa dokumento na hawak ng National Bureau of Investigation, si Revilla ang may pinakamalaking nabulsa mula sa pera ng PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) sa pamamagitan ng operasyun na kasabwat si Janet Lim Napoles.
The offer: “I will return the money I got from my PDAF fund plus interest. I will make a public apology. I will resign and will not run for elective office again.”
The requested reward: “Please don’t file plunder charges against me.”
Reason for the offer: “One, I want to spare my grandchildren the stigma of having a grandparent convicted of plunder. Two, I am currently ‘down.’ This is not the best time of my life.”
My source declined to identify the lawmaker and the branch of legislature. I can only guess the identity based on the demands: he or she is old enough to have grandchildren and is eligible for election in 2016.
Last Monday, a total of 37 persons were charged in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund. Three senators were charged with plunder: Ramon “Bong” Revilla; Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile.