MANILA, Philippines - Pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy on Tuesday told the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 that he resisted the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents who rescued him last March 22, thinking that they were assassins sent by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and his brother Reynald "Jojo" Lim.
Continuing his direct examination under Prosecutor Henry Salazar, Luy told the court that he was surprised by the NBI agents led by Rodante Berou who barged into the South Garden unit of the Pacific Plaza condominium in the Bonifacio Global City where he was brought by Lim on the night of March 22 from the Magallanes Village house where he was detained for three months.
Luy told the court that as he, his mother Gertrudes and Lim were talking inside the condominium unit, at about 9:30 p.m., the doorbell rang. When Lim opened the door, the NBI agents entered the unit.
According to Luy, one of the agents asked if his name was Benhur Luy. He told the court that he acknowledged the NBI agent but added that he became afraid after noticing that the agent who had asked him had a sidearm.
"Ma ano ba 'to? Wala akong ginagawang kasalanan Kuya Jojo," (What is this? I have not done anything wrong Kuya Jojo) said Luy.
Luy said he only calmed down after being told by his mother that the men were NBI agents out to rescue him.
It was at this point that Luy said he heard one of the agents placing Lim under arrest for serious illegal detention.
Luy told the court that the following day, the NBI took him to the St. Luke's Medical Center at the Bonifacio Global City where Lim was rushed following his arrest. At the hospital, Luy said Prosecutor inquested Lim and had asked Luy to identify him.
At the NBI headquarters, Berou asked Luy why he had resisted being rescued. Luy said he resisted being rescued because he thought the NBI agents were assassins - sent by representatives and mayors who have done transactions with Napoles - to silence him.
Meanwhile, Luy also revealed to the court Tuesday that Napoles had also illegally withdrawn his peso and dollar bank accounts from two banks while he was being illegaly detained at Napoles' house at 52 Lapu Lapu St. in Magallanes Village.
According to Luy, using his forged signatures on withdrawal slips and debit memos, Napoles allegedly transferred P800,000 from his account with the Metrobank Julia Vargas branch to the JLN account. His $13,761 account with Metrobank was likewise closed last December 27.
Luy also learned that his P306,000 and P207,000 accounts with UCPB Bonifacio Global City were also withdrawn and were transferred to the accounts of JLN using his forged signature.
In the hearing last October 2, JLN former employee Merlina Pablo Sunas testified that Napoles became so angry at Luy, her cousin, for allegedly entering into secret deals with the chiefs-of-staff of some senators that she ordered Luy's bank accounts be transferred to the JLN's accounts using his forged signature.
At Tuesday's hearing, Luy also admitted making three separate sworn affidavits on March 23, 2013; March 27, 2013 and April 24, 2013.
Meamwhile defense lawyer Alfredo Villamor asked Luy why he had to secretly pass to his sister Anabelle Luy-Reario a letter he wrote asking his family to join him in prayer and ask for Napoles' forgiveness of his "sins" which he said referred to "transactions."
Luy replied that although the February 21, 2012 letter he passed to his sister by secretly placing it in her back pants pocket did not mention his place of detention as the Magallanes house which is more popularly know as the "Bahay San Jose," he was afraid of alarming Jojo Lim as he intends to send another letter, this time, detailing his three-month detention at the Magallanes Village house.
"You're telling us that your letter was just an experiment? " asked Villamor.
"I wrote that just in case Jojo gets it and reads it. If I were to succeed, I will write another letter asking for help," Luy answered.
In his letter, Luy asked his family to help him ask forgiveness from Napoles and to join him in saying nocturnal prayers or prayers at 3 a.m .and saying 2,000 Hail Marys.
Defense lawyer Alfredo Villamor then grilled Luy during the cross examination as to why his notebook or journal only comtained biblical verses but did not contain any reference to his three months of detention. Luy said he wrote on the journal from December 22, 2012 to March 20, 2013.
Luy told the court that he wrote biblical verses on the notebook whenever he feels bored at his room at the Magallanes house. However, Luy said that contrary to the claim of defense lawyers, he did mention his illegal detention and his desire to be freed in his journal.
Luy pointed to Villamor to the phrase " inward struggle" as his reference to his detention in the journal.
Luy ended his cross-examination under Villamor at 12 noon. The cross-examination resumes at 9 am Wednesday.