Witnesses detail web of fraud

MANILA, Philippines - Five more witnesses in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam attended yesterday the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing to corroborate the statement of whistle-blower Benhur Luy on the “web of fraud” perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles through the years.

Marina Sula, 55, told the Senate committee that she played a key role in the creation of 19
non-government organizations (NGOs) or foundations used by Napoles in the scheme to siphon the pork barrel funds or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers to her personal bank accounts.

Sula revealed that Napoles had directed her to help in forming and providing documentation for the NGOs.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III described Napoles’ scheme as a web of fraud as he noted how it spanned the siphoning of pork barrel funds using some lawmakers' allocations to the diversion of the Malampaya Fund via some local government units as implementing agencies and released through the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Apart from Sula, Luy’s mother Getrudes, Merlina Suñas, Arlene Baltazar and Monette Briones appeared before the committee two days after an irked Blue Ribbon chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona confronted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for failing to bring the witnesses during the Senate hearing last Tuesday.

Luy’s mother, who worked as nanny of Napoles’ children for 22 years, said she witnessed millions of pesos in cash being brought to Napoles’ residence in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

In some instances, the cash amounted to at least P30 million, kept in Napoles’ bedroom.

Stacks of bills were also placed in her employer’s bathtub, she said.

Getrudes said she helped repack the cash to be given to Napoles’ contacts in government upon the latter’s instructions.

Sula, a former employee at the Philippine Navy Naval Construction Brigade, narrated how Napoles started her scheme at the Navy headquarters where the family-owned Jocris – named after Napoles’ daughter Jo Christine – Trading engaged in supplying vehicle parts to the military.

From vehicle parts, Napoles also went into supplying kevlar vests and helmets, which caused some legal issues that prompted the filing of charges before the Sandiganbayan.

Owing to Napoles’ supposed influence in the Sandiganbayan, Sula said the case was dismissed in 2010.

After Suñas, Sula revealed that she was also privy to the details of the properties owned by Napoles and those placed under her foundations.

According to Sula, she personally took care of the requirements of the foundations such as the general information sheets, certificates of good standing and the documents that needed to be submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to have these NGOs accredited.

From janitress of Jocris Trading in 1997, Sula rose through the ranks to become president of one of Napoles’ foundations – the Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc (MAPFI) in 2003.

During the hearing, Sula identified the other NGOs as the People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc, Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc., Ginintuang Alay sa Magsasaka Foundation, Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation Inc., Gintong Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc.,

Masaganang Buhay Foundation Inc., Philippine Agri and Social Economic Development Foundation Inc., Tanglaw Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc., Agrikultura Para sa Magbubukid Foundation, Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Inc., Kaupdanan Para sa Mangunguma Foundation, Micro Agri Business Initiative Foundation, Kasaganahan Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc., Bukirin Tanglaw Foundation Inc., Abundant Harvest for People’s Foundation Inc., Dalangpan Sangaman Utod Kagsimanwa Foundation, Karangyaan Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, Philippine Social Development Foundation, and Saganang Buhay Foundation Inc.

During questioning by senators, Sula also revealed Napoles’ many properties which included a house and lot in Alabang, six properties in AFPOVAI, South Toll in Laguna, units in Discovery Suites, two houses in Bocaue, Bulacan and another in Pandi, Bulacan.

Napoles also has units in Eton Properties in Makati City, Empire East Land and Beaufort-Filinvest at Bonifacio Global City.

There were also units at Dakota in Malate, Manila; Primea in Makati; Citiland and Eastwood.

The properties were listed under JCLN Global Development Corp.

There is also a property in Anaheim, California.

The witness also revealed that Napoles bought a property in Rockwell from Bryan Yamsuan, whom Napoles’ former employees described as her friend. The property’s title has not yet been transferred to Napoles’ name due to some documentation requirements.

Napoles tried to stop witnesses

During the Senate hearing, the witnesses also revealed that Napoles tried to dissuade them from joining Luy on the same day that Napoles surrendered to President Aquino last Aug. 28.

On that day Sula said she received a call from Napoles while they were at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“Kahit maubos ang pera ko susuportahan ko kayo, hintayin ninyo kasi lalabas na ang TRO ko (I will support all of you even if my money runs out. Just wait since my temporary restraining order is coming out),” she quoted her former boss as saying.

A certain Cheryl Jimenea followed up Napoles’ call, asking her and the other Napoles employees for a meeting where they will be given defense lawyers.

It was during that meeting at the Trinoma mall in Quezon City where they met lawyer Alex Tan.

Jimenea also gave them P20,000 cash each during that meeting, where other witnesses Arlene Baltazar, Simonette Briones and Fernando Ramirez were present.

During that meeting, Tan told them to testify against Benhur Luy.

She quoted Tan as saying that they should pin the blame on Luy as the one who directed them to form the NGOs and foundations and Luy got all the money, purportedly coming from the PDAF of senators and congressmen.

De Lima cautions panel

At the start of the hearing, De Lima discouraged the panel from further asking the witnesses about their roles in the operations.

“The least the prosecution of these cases need is a live broadcast of prosecution strategy that has been carefully developed in the course of the investigation,” De Lima said. “All of this will be threatened by the insights to be gained by lawyers of the other side from this exercise.”

Meanwhile, Pimentel also asked the DOJ yesterday to consider dropping the charges against an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who was erroneously tagged as the president of one of the bogus NGOs formed by Napoles.

Pimentel said that Nemesio Pablo Jr., a welder working in Australia, was registered without his knowledge as president of the Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc.

Suñas told the Senate inquiry that she simply forged the signature of her cousin.

Pimentel enjoined De Lima to help the beleaguered Filipino by coordinating with the Philippine embassy in Australia to get the affidavit of Pablo, who, according to newspaper accounts, expressed surprise why he was included in the plunder and graft charges filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with the ombudsman.

He said that it would only be fair to Pablo to drop him from the charges, banking heavily on the testimony of Suñas.