‘I pity the Senators who were dragged into this’
Businesswoman Janet Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, denied Thursday setting up fake non-government organizations that allegedly received billions of pesos in pork barrel funds.
While Napoles confirmed that key whistleblower Benhur Luy is her former employee she denied ordering them to set up at least 20 NGOs that allegedly received priority development assistance funds.
She confirmed knowing the other whistleblowers, but denied some of them had worked for her at the JLN Corp.
She said she only set up one NGO, the Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation for Divine Mercy, which she used for her outreach program.
Luy, however, said Napoles was lying. "Sir, nagsisinungaling po siya. Totoo po yun," he said.
Napoles also denied funneling pork funds into the pockets of lawmakers.
Asked if she approached lawmakers and vice-versa to discuss the handling of the pork funds, she said: “Hindi po…Nakakaawa ang mga senador na nada-drag dito. Hindi totoo.”
Kickbacks and commissions
Luy said he acted as Napoles’ chief finance officer, which is why he got to know the kickbacks and commissions received by the lawmakers.
“Hindi sya CFO ko. Sa administration lang sya, kasi laging nasa religious activities. Sya ang may gawa nyan,” Napoles said.
Luy said, “since sinabi nyang religious ako, sinasabi ko ang totoo.”
Based on Luy's bookkeeping records, Senator Bong Revilla allegedly gave P652 million of his priority development assistance funds to Napoles NGOs. Luy said Revilla was supposed to have received P326 million, since there was an understanding he will get 50% of the PDAF.
Based on Luy’s book, Revilla allegedly got P224,512,500.
“May mga differences, kasi galing na kay Madam yung iba.”
For Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s P726,550,000 worth of PDAF, he was supposed to have received P363,275,000. In Luy’s book. Enrile supposedly got P172,834,500.
For Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s P751,500,000, he was supposed to have received P375,750,000. Estrada supposedly received P183,793,750.
Executive session
Before her testimony, Napoles sought an executive session with the members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
The committee headed by Senator TG Guingona suspended the hearing a second time within an hour into the proceedings after Napoles sought an executive session.
Asked for her reason, Napoles said, “dahil po sa sensitivity [ng issue].”
The actions of Napoles, the alleged whistleblower, shocked some political analysts who said they did not see it coming.
Political analyst Edmund Tayao said “it’s a good move” since it could mean she will tell all.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano agreed, but said anything that goes on in executive sessions will still come out in the public. He said, however, that the public may feel that the information will already become tainted.
Guingona rejected Napoles' plea since the matter does not involve national security.
The hearings finally started beginning at 11:00 a.m., with Guingona opening the first salvo. Napoles, nonetheless, was careful in her answers.
Asked for the background of JLN Corp., the company she started, Napoles said: “There is already a case in the BIR, let’s just wait for it.”
Guingona named one after the other the whistleblowers, but Napoles said not all of them were her employees.
The whistleblowers, one after the other, said she was not telling the truth.
Asked if she created the foundations alleged to have funneled the pork funds to lawmakers, she said she does not know the companies. She said she only knows of one, Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation, which she said was used for outreach projects.
“Pero lahat sila nagsasabi na ikaw ang gumawa."
Napoles answered, “hindi ko alam kung ano gusto nila sabihin. Tutal nasa Ombudsman na, hindi ko alam.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
