MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday announced a P10-million reward for information that will lead to the arrest of fugitive and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
Aquino made the announcement after three yachts allegedly owned by Napoles are now missing as claimed by the Bureau of Immigration.
"P10-million ang reward for information leading to the arrest of Ms. Napoles," the President said.
The President reminded coddlers of Napoles that aiding and abettting a fugitive from the law and obstruction of justice are crimes.
"Harboring of a fugitive, kaso yun. Obstruction of justice, kaso rin yun. So yung babala: kung nasa wastong pag-iisip ang mga kumukupkop sa kanya, dapat maalala ito. At kung akala nila na titigilan namin ang paghahanap dito, nagkakamali sila," the President stressed.
He expressed "reasonable confidence" that Napoles and and her cohorts would be captured soon.
Napoles is the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam, accused for setting-up bogus non-government organizations that received lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
A report by the Commission on Audit last week revealed that some NGOs linked to Napoles received the pork barrel of lawmakers from 2007 to 2009.
Related story: COA confirms 10 Napoles NGOs got P2-B 'pork'
Arrest warrants were issued against Napoles and her brother in connection with the illegal detention case filed by her former employee and pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy.
Napoles and her brother have eluded arrest and remain at large, prompting authorities to urge to the public to carry out a "citizen's arrest" of the embattled businesswoman.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima believes that Napoles and her brother are still in the Philippines.
"All existing leads na nakakalap ng [National Bureau of Investigation] ngayon point to the fact that they are still here but they are hiding," De Lima said Tuesday during the press briefing of the Inter-Agency Graft Coordinating Council.
Siegfred Mison, BI officer-in-charge, said they have coordinated with their counterparts from Indonesia and Malaysia and requested that they be on the lookout for Napoles and her brother.
Related story: Napoles as state witness?