LP members implicated in ‘pork’ scam urged to cooperate in probe

MANILA, Philippines - Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas yesterday urged his party mates in the Liberal Party (LP) who have been implicated in the pork barrel scam to cooperate with the investigation.

Roxas, LP president-on-leave, said, “We expect their full cooperation and follow due process. They would be given an opportunity to explain themselves so I expect that there would be an explanation.”

It was reported that some LP congressmen were among those who allocated portions of their pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), the government agency that implemented projects funded by lawmakers who endorsed bogus nongovernment organizations from 2007 to 2009.

Alleged pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles has been linked to the diversion of PDAF of several lawmakers into dummy NGOs purportedly for ghost projects worth over P10 billion.

Several administration lawmakers were among the 83 lawmakers accused of coursing their pork barrel allocations through Nabcor that released the money to questionable NGOs to implement the projects.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara has expressed belief that his father, former Senate president Edgardo Angara, could explain why he used the Nabcor as implementing agency for his pork barrel during his term.

“I’m concerned but I’m pretty confident that he could answer these charges against him,” the younger Angara said.

“His name came out in the full report. The COA commissioner said just appearing in the COA report is not evidence of criminal involvement,” he added.

Angara believes his father could answer the circumstances on why he allocated P20 million of his PDAF and endorsed it to the NGO Kagandaan ng Kapaligiran Foundation Inc. (KKFI).  

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed Senate Resolution 575 calling on the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to summon as resource persons two former officials of the Nabcor.

Santiago wanted the Senate committee looking into the pork barrel scam to invite Rhodora Mendoza and Victor Roman Cacal to the hearings in the wake of reports that Nabcor, which is under the Department of Agriculture, was allegedly the favored agency of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.

For his part, Estrada said he is ready to defend his actions.

“As for me, I can defend my actions, I will defend myself in court if the need arises as long as they also mention all the legislators who are also involved and not just focus the probe on the three of us,” Estrada said.

Napoles surgery

The head of the Makati Medical Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology told a Makati court yesterday that Napoles has the right to choose her own doctor and hospital for the treatment of her uterine myoma.

Santiago del Rosario, testifying as a defense witness in the hearing at the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 on Napoles’ petition for surgery and hospital confinement, said the businesswoman has the right under the Declaration of Lisbon on the Rights of the Patient that was adopted by the World Medical Association in 1981.

“The Declaration of Lisbon, enacted by the World Medical Assembly, recognizes the patient’s rights. The patient has the absolute right to choose his doctors and seek medical attention. The patient has the right to choose medical attention from her physician of her own choice,” he said.

The patient, whether free or incarcerated, has that same right, said Del Rosario, a doctor for more than 60 years and former president of the Philippine Medical Association.

Earlier, Inspector Michelle Daguno, head of the gynecology ward of the Philippine National Police General Hospital, told the court that Napoles had a 6-cm uterine myoma that caused her uterus to be distended to the size of a three-and-a-half months pregnant woman.

Daguno told the court that should the court order it, the PNP hospital has doctors who could perform the surgery on Napoles and have the myoma removed.

He, however, added that there is no urgency for Napaoles to undergo surgery as her situation is not life threatening.

“Based on the size, it is not dangerous and life-threatening. Myoma uterine can go away. When you go into menopause, it will not grow bigger,” said Daguno, who had also earlier examined Napoles at the PNP General Hospital.

A uterine myoma (also called fibroid, leiomyoma, leiomyomata and fibromyoma) is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that grows within the muscle tissue of the uterus. There can either be one dominant myoma in the uterus, or a cluster of many small myomas. Uterine myoma can range in size from larger than a melon to as small as a coin.

According to www.myoma.co.uk, 20-50 percent of women of childbearing age have uterine myoma.

While many women do not experience any problems, symptoms could be severe enough to require treatment. For example, a very large myoma may cause the uterus to stretch to the size of a six- or seven-month pregnancy.       

 Daguno, when asked by Judge Elmo Alameda, said the PNP General Hospital has 40 doctors, five of whom are obstetrician-gynecologists who could perform surgery on Napoles to remove the myoma. – With Mike Frialde