MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III confirmed on Thursday that he received a letter from alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles in 2013.
At a televised media interview, Aquino showed the letter dated April 17, 2013, in which the businesswoman denied that she had engaged in illegal activities.
"Basically, sinasabi niya inosente siya, matinong negosyante sila for the past 29 years. Inaapi sila ng NBI. 'Yun ang gist nito," Aquino told reporters at the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
Aquino read a paragraph on the letter: "We (Napoles) are decent law-abiding citizens all our lives. We are not kidnappers. We are not criminals. My family and I are legitimate businessmen. We have been engaged in the business for the past 29 years and the main reason for our success is because of the trust and integrity attached to our good name."
The President said he gave the letter to the agency tasked to investigate the matter.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada raised Napoles' letter during the confirmation hearing of Justice Secrtary Leila De Lima on Wednesday.
But Aquino turned the tables on Estrada, reading a portion of the letter mentioning an official linked to the senator's family.
"Baka dapat tanungin natin si Senator Jinggoy," Aquino said. "Kasi ang nakalagay dito... 'Thereafter, Atty. Levito Baligod, lawyer of the Luy family, together with the retired General Rodolfo Diaz demanded the amount of 38-million pesos from through our lawyer, Atty. Freddie Villamor, in exchange for the dropping of said false charges and bad media publicity'."
"Ewan ko lang kung ito 'yung General Diaz na dating namumuno ng (Presidential Security Group) noong panahon ni President Erap (Joseph Estrada). So baka mas may alam sa atin si Senator Jinggoy, " Aquino added.
Like Napoles, Estrada is facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for supposedly amassing kickbacks through the funneling of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the foundations of the businesswoman.
Several allies of Aquino have been implicated in the scam, but the President insists that he never had transactions with Napoles since he did not receive pork barrel funds as an opposition lawmaker during the Arroyo administration.
"So wala siyang interes na maging close sa akin dahil wala siyang mapapala sa akin," Aquino said.
"Anong pakinabang niyang maging close sa aking kung ang habol niya ay maghanapbuhay sa PDAF?" the President added.