JPE, Bong, Angara face new ‘pork’ raps

MANILA, Philippines - Levito Baligod, former counsel of pork barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy, filed charges of malversation of public funds against 20 incumbent and former lawmakers before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday.

Among those charged for the alleged misuse of their pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2007 to 2009 were Sens. Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and former senator Edgardo Angara.

The PDAF funds were allegedly released to non-government organizations (NGOs) not linked to accused pork barrel fund scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, who is now detained and facing plunder charges with several lawmakers as her co-accused for misuse of government funds.

Napoles was also convicted and sentenced for the serious illegal detention of Luy.

Also named respondents were former party-list lawmaker Joel Villanueva of CIBAC who now heads the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Prospero Nograles (Davao), Joseph Santiago (Catanduanes), Roberto Cajes (Bohol), Alan Miraflores (Aklan), Neil Tupas (Iloilo) and Carol Lopez (You Against Corruption and Poverty or YACAP party-list).

Likewise included were Alfonso Umali (Oriental Mindoro), Edgar San Luis (Laguna), Arturo Robes (San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan), Rodolfo Antonino (Nueva Ecija), Reno Lim (Albay), Evita Arago (Laguna), Rachel Arenas (Pangasinan), Marina Clarete (Misamis Occidental), Al Francis Bichara (Albay) and Julio Ledesma IV (Negros Occidental).

Baligod’s complaint was based on the affidavits of four persons, including former National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) employees Victor Roman Cacal and Rhodora Mendoza, who were among those charged in pork barrel scam cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan against Enrile, Revilla and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

The affidavits of Bernadette Ricalde and Katherine Namoro, former employees of a lawmaker, also formed part of the documents submitted to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Baligod said the lawmakers channeled over P490.685 million in PDAF to some 17 NGOs that allegedly “squandered” the money.

Enrile and Angara allegedly gave P15 million and P20 million respectively to Kagandahan ng Kapaligiran Foundation Inc., while Revilla gave P10 million to St. James the Apostle Multi-Purpose Cooperative Inc.

The lawyer said the witnesses are willing and ready to prove their allegations and reveal what they know, together with other potential witnesses.

“Thus, you will note that their affidavits are not exhaustive, as we only want to establish a reasonable basis for your good office to look into the allegations and to validate the same and those that they could hereafter reveal should your Office enjoin them to do so,” Baligod said.

Enrile said that he couldn’t care less about the plan of the ombudsman to file a motion for reconsideration on the decision of the Supreme Court to grant him bail.

Speaking with reporters at the Senate yesterday, Enrile said that it was the right of the ombudsman to file that motion for reconsideration.

Enrile, charged with plunder in relation to the pork barrel scam, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on humanitarian grounds.

Since his release from hospital detention, Enrile has attended the plenary sessions of the Senate daily.

Asked about the new case being prepared against him, Enrile had nothing much to say.

“One more time? What is the difference? That would already be multiple plunder and that’s too much. Anyway, we’ll see,” Enrile said.

YACAP Rep. Lopez said she has taken steps to clear her name with the Commission on Audit (COA).

Tupas said he was the one who informed the COA back in 2010 when he found out that his signature was being forged to facilitate release of funds from PDAF.

He said he also asked concerned agencies to withhold implementation and releases of any fund under his PDAF account that resulted in the monies withheld and returned to the national treasury.

TESDA chief Villanueva refuted the allegations against him.

“I sound like a broken record — the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) has said the documents were fake,” Villanueva said.

Malacañang is keeping its hands off the charges of malversation through falsification of public documents filed yesterday at the ombudsman against 20 former and incumbent and lawmakers, including allies of the administration.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it would be “imprudent” of them to comment on any actions being taken by the ombudsman “in any phase of any investigation.”

Ombudsman’s budget

Members of the House appropriations committee have agreed to increase the proposed P1.8-billion budget of the Office of the Ombudsman for next year.

The committee, chaired by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, arrived at a consensus on Tuesday to give Ombudsman Morales more funds and to uphold her agency’s constitutional independence and fiscal autonomy.

On motion of Reps. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City and Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, the panel agreed in principle to increase Morales’ intelligence fund for 2016 from P3 million to P10 million.  – With Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica