Over pork barrel scam Napoles, 3 solons face plunder raps

CEBU, Philippines -  The Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday announced that it will file plunder charges against Janet Lim-Napoles and Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

Assistant Ombudsman Asryman Rafanan yesterday said that the anti-graft panel found probable cause for the indictment of the principal respondents and their alleged conspirators, which include provisional state witness Ruby Tuason.

Napoles and the lawmakers face plunder and malversation charges for the multi-billion peso Priority Development Assistance Funds scam from 2006 to 2010.

The counter-affidavit filed by the senators and Napoles were not found sufficient to counter the allegations and pieces of evidence against them.

"Napagpasyahan na hindi sapat ang kanilang pag-sagot sa mga inihain na reklamo at may sapat na ebidensya na nagpapakita na meron silang pananagutan sa taumbayan," Rafanan said.

Resolutions released by the Ombudsman's office on Tuesday indicated the following amounts taken from the three senators' lump sum funds for Napoles' purported fraudulent non-government organizations: Revilla, P517 million; Enrile, P345 million; and Estrada, P278 million.

Rafanan said that the charges are the first batch of cases stemming from the recommendations and evidence submitted by the National Bureau of Investigation, Ombudsman Field Investigation Office and lawyer Levito Baligod, a private complainant.

Minutes before the Ombudsman's announcement, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee announced that it is recommending plunder charges against Napoles and the three senators.

The Ombudsman also tagged other respondents perceived as acting "in concert" with Revilla, Enrile, and Estrada including Office of Senator Revilla director Richard Cambe, Office of Senator Enrile former chief of staff Jessica Lucila Reyes and former director Jose Antonio Evangelista, Technology Resource Center former director general Antonio Ortiz, National Livelihood Development Corp. president Gondelina Amata, and National Agribusiness Corp. former director Alan Javellana,

More tests

Napoles will still undergo more laboratory tests before any procedure can be performed to remove her uterine myoma, Ospital ng Makati  medical director Perry Peralta disclosed yesterday.

Peralta told reporters that X-ray examination, a computed tomography scan, and a Two-Dimensional Echocardiogram test were conducted on Napoles shortly after she arrived at the Osmak in Barangay Pembo last Monday night.

Police escorts brought Napoles to Osmak. She was not handcuffed and was not wearing a bulletproof vest.

Makati police chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Lukban said local policemen would secure the hospital perimeter with elements of the Regional Public Safety Battalion of PNP Region 4-A as her close-in security. —  Philippine STAR News Service (FREEMAN)