THE National Bureau of Investigation filed on Monday afternoon plunder and malversation of public funds charges against Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, more commonly known as “pork barrel.”
Similar charges were filed against former Masbate Rep. and now Gov. Rizalina Lanete and former APEC party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez.
(Download the executive summary of the NBI’s plunder complaint)
The five public officials were found to have each accumulated more than P50 million, the threshold amount for plunder, through misappropriation, misuse and conversion of their PDAF allocations and acceptance of kickbacks from transactions made with Napoles and her NGOs for the PDAF-supported projects, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told a press briefing.
Charged with similar or lesser offenses–malversation, direct bribery and/or other graft and corrupt practices–were 32 other people identified by whistleblowers, all former staff of Napoles who have personal knowledge and documents of the abuse of the PDAF.
De Lima said the complaint is the first of a series of cases to be filed. Charges arising from the misuse of the Malampaya Fund will be the next to be filed.
Three former members of the House of Representatives were charged with malversation of public funds, direct bribery and violation of the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for accumulating kickbacks and other benefits less than P50 million, said De Lima. They are former Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa and former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula.
Also charged were chiefs of staff and staffmembers of lawmakers:
- Jessica Reyes – Enrile’s chief of staff (De Lima confirmed that Reyes has left the country.)
- Richard Cambe – Revilla’s chief staff
- Ruby Tuason – an aide of Enrile and Estrada
- Pauline Labayen – Estrada’s staff
- Jose Sumalpong – Lanete’s chief of staff
- Jeanette Dela Cruz – a member of Lanete’s district staff
- Erwin Dangwa – Dangwa’s chief of staff
- Carlos Lozada – a member of Dangwa’s staff
The NBI also charged five heads of government agencies that implemented the PDAF projects with plunder, malversation and graft and corruption:
- Alan Javellana, former National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) president
- Gondelina Amata, National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC) president
- Antonio Ortiz, former Technology Resource Corp. (TRC) director general
- Dennis Cunanan, former TRC deputy director general
- Salvador Salacup, former Zamboanga Del Norte College Rubber Estates Corp (ZREC) president and undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture
Also charged were the heads of six Napoles NGOs:
- Jocelyn Piorato, Agricultura para sa Magbubukid Foundation Inc.
- Nemesio Pablo Jr., the Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation Inc.
- Mylene T. Encarnacion, Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation Inc.
- John Raymond de Asis, Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc.
- Evelyn de Leon, Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc.
- Ronald John Lim, Ginintuang Alay sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc.
— Yvonne T. Chua
Read other interesting stories:
Click thumbnails to read related articles.
