'Million People March' organizers to keep eye on Napoles' case

MANILA -- The people behind the "Million People March" will watch closely as Janet Lim Napoles, one of the alleged key players behind the pork barrel scam, surrendered to President Benigno Aquino on Wednesday.

Speaking to radio DZMM, "Million People March" spokesperson Atty. Irene Aguila said the government should be aware that the public will be keeping an eye on how the court handles Napoles' case, given the number of people who attended Monday's protest in Luneta.
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Aguila also said that the people who supported Monday's protest are not expecting any special treatment for Napoles.

"I think ang important talaga is not so much only tonight, pero yung how the court investigation will be conducted," she said.

Aguila added that while Napoles is now under government custody, public officials should not forget the cry of the "Million People March," which is to scrap the pork barrel.

"Hindi lang naman si Janet Napoles ang pinupunterya ng mga sumisigaw sa Luneta. Di lang naman siya ang puno't dulo ng pagkilos noong Lunes.. I think tuloy pa rin ang panawagan na i-scrap ang pork barrel," she said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why some lawmakers may want Napoles killed

MANILA - Some lawmakers involved in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam may want fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles killed to silence her, a lawyer said Monday.

Levito Baligod, lawyer of scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, told dzMM that Napoles has documents showing her cash transactions with lawmakers involved in the anomaly that has rocked the nation.

Baligod said it would be better for Napoles to surrender to the National Bueau of Investigation (NBI) for her own safety.

"Mas makakabuti sana kay Ginang Napoles na sumuko na lamang dahil iyung pagtatago niya ay nagdadagdag ng panganib sa buhay niya," he said. "Dahil meron ho kasing libro na hawak si Ginang Napoles na kung saan, nandoon iyung mga transaksiyon o mga napagkasunduan niya na sistema o sharing scheme with legislators."

Baligod said lawmakers involved in the scam do not want their names to come out in public.

"Hindi ako magtataka na iyung mga pulitiko na ito, ay ang magtatangkang hanapin si Ginang Napoles at kung maari huwag na siyang lumantad o kaya medyo mabibigay ng panganib sa buhay niya," he added.

Baligod said Napoles is in danger more than Luy or other whistleblowers.

"Mayroon pong hawak si Ginang Napoles, halimbawa, iyung cash vouchers po. Nandoon iyung mga pirma ng mga legislators. Meron din pirma iyung mga chiefs of staff o representatives ng mga legislators na tumanggap ng pera mula kay Ginang Napoles," he said.

He said the documents, if made public, will be strong evidence to show conspiracy between the businesswoman and some legislators whom he declined to name.

Napoles and her brother brother Reynald "Jojo" Lim went into hiding after a warrant of arrest was issued against them August 15 in connection with Luy's kidnapping and illegal detention.

Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda did not recommend bail for the charge of serious illegal detention.

The Court of Appeals, meanwhile, has slapped a freeze order on 514 bank accounts, insurance policies, and credit card accounts owned by Napoles and her associates.

Baligod believes that Napoles and her brother are still somewhere in Metro Manila.

"Meron kasi kaming pinagkukuhanan ng impormasyon. Ayon sa kaniya ay nasa isang building sila. Nakatago sila sa isang building. Iyung mga sasakyan nila, naka-park sa basement ng building na walang ibang may access. Sinasabi din po namin sa otoridad iyung natatanggap naming impormasyon," he added.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima last week said Napoles is still in the country.

The NBI has looked at a reported credit card transaction made by Napoles from a hotel in Pasig, and has sent agents to Mindanao where she allegedly has properties.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

DOJ eyes putting Napoles on Interpol red list

MANILA - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday said businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10 billion pork barrel scam, is still in the country. She said the National Bureau of Investigation is working on putting her on Interpol's red list in case she slips out of the country.

De Lima said there is no indication Napoles has left the country, pointing out the difficulty of doing so since Napoles' passport has been cancelled.

She said the NBI is already pursuing several leads in arresting Napoles. However, the agency is cool to the idea of putting a bounty on Napoles since whatever bounty the government may impose maybe peanuts to Napoles' assets.

"No indication nakalabas. Mahihirapan kasi cancelled passport. NBI working on Interpol red list lalo na cancelled na passport. The NBI continues to have debate kung, debate karamihan sa kanila, di na raw kailangan kung P1 million, P2 million (bounty) peanuts lang sa if we think of the resources of the subject of manhunt," she said.

She also pointed out that some of the most wanted fugitives are still on the loose despite 2-million-peso bounties on their heads.

"As a matter of principle, di rin maganda rin mercenary element. Alam natin gaano kataas interest ng publiko so enraged by this. Umaasa rin kami sa tulong ng sambayanan," she said.

De Lima said the NBI is still preparing the cases and collating the documents that will be used in filing the strongest cases related to the pork barrel scam. She said they can only file cases connected to Napoles since she is the focus of the investigation.

Other cases will have to be filed regarding the bigger scam as uncovered by a recent Commission on Audit report.

"Standing instruction ng Pangulo ay kung ano malalakas na kaso na pwede nang i-file, i-file na ASAP. Now as you know, ang ini-imbestigahan ng NBI are the Napoles components or portions of the PDAF and even the malampaya fund scams. Even before lumabas yung COA special audit report, yun talaga tinutukan ng NBI gawa ng disclosures ng whistle-blowers. So yung Napoles portions lang nalaman sa COA report mas malaki ito di iyan sakop ng NBI," she said.

Number of cases being finalized

The NBI is focusing its investigation on the alleged pork barrel scam as well as the alleged misuse of P900 million in Malampaya funds being linked to Napoles. De Lima said fake non-government organizations being linked to Napoles are also under investigation.

"Kung ilang kaso at ilan kakasuhan namin, yan fina-finalize pa namin. Katulad ng Pangulo, hindi pa namin pwede sabihin kung sino-sino kakasuhan namin other than Napoles," she said.

De Lima said an inter-agency, anti-graft coordinating council has been formed to probe the bigger scam uncovered by COA. The lead office in this council is the Ombudsman.

"'Yan ang tumutututok sa mga large scale , large scale corruption cases at nagkaroon na kami ng initial discussions diyan. Nagka-initial meeting with Ombudsman and COA. Yung sa Napoles component of the scam sa PDAF meron na kaming mga na-identify na mga pwedeng kasuhan pero fina-file, dino-double check namin yan kasi gusto namin masiguro na yung documents andiyan and in fact kino-collate na iyan. Nawala lang 3 days (because of the weather) pero kundi sana nawala 3 days halos tapos na pag-collate ng documentary support."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

DA official linked to pork barrel scam replaced

MANILA - Agriculture chief Proceso Alcala on Wednesday said he ordered the Internal Audit Service to investigate alleged bogus non-government organizations linked to the P10 billion scam involving lawmakers' pork barrel funds.

In an interview, Alcala said he has already explained his side to President Aquino following an Inquirer report that the Department of Agriculture released almost P90 million to the fake NGOs linked to businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

He noted that it is usually lawmakers who endorse the NGOs.

Alcala told reporters it was only in August of last year that they accepted receiving and processing agri-fishery projects upon the insistence of lawmakers.

He also said that the project proposal came with a letter of endorsement from lawmakers endorsing their preferred NGOs.

He also said that only a fraction of an P83 million allocation that was supposed to be go to Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation was released because of the safeguards set up by the department. The foundation is one of the NGOs linked to Napoles.

The DA chief has also relieved DA Assistant Secretary for Finance Ophelia Agawin of her duties in the selection of accredited NGOs by the department.

She was also asked to submit her reply to allegations that she chose the bogus NGOs that received millions of pesos in pork barrel funds.

Agawin was replaced by DA Assistant Secretary Edilberto de Luna as chair of the NGO-PO accreditation committee.

Agawin, however, will continue in her functions as assistant secretary for finance.

Alcala said he expects the Internal Audit Service to submit their initial report by tomorrow.

He vowed that whoever is guilty in his department would be punished, saying he does not tolerate corruption of taxpayers' money.

The DA reported a 1.4 percent growth increase in the agriculture industry in the first 6 months of 2013.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jeane Napoles owns a Ritz-Carlton unit

Jeane Napoles, the daughter of a businesswoman who has been implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel, Malampaya, and fertilizer fund scandals, owns a unit at the Ritz-Carlton Residences building in Los Angeles, documents show.

The plush condotel, which is outside the LA Live Plaza and the Staples Center, is home to many rich and famous people including professional athletes and celebrities.

According to official records of the County of Los Angeles, Napoles is owner of a Ritz Carlton's unit that has assessor's parcel number 5138-027-110.

Unit prices at the building range from $800,000 (P34.8 million) to $9.3 million (P404.6. million) each, according to luxuryrealestate.com.

Neighbors who declined to speak on camera say, while her mother Janet Lim-Napoles has come to visit, the younger Napoles was often seen in her Porsche.



Jeane is described as tall and friendly, greeting fellow Filipino tenants as she attended the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise that carried a $30,000 an estimated P1.3 million annual tuition.

But her neighbors say lately, she has not been seen around the heavily secured condotel.

Jeane's ritzy lifestyle triggered an online firestorm after her Instagram and Tumblr accounts showed photos of Porsche cars, designer bags, expensive shoes, and jewelry her parents bought for her.

Her personal sites also show her taste in fashion, as well as her passion for travel and parties.

Another video clip sourced from Vimeo and made public on YouTube also shows how she spent her 21st birthday party at Beverly Hills.


ABS-CBN News, meanwhile, has also received information that the older Napoles owns a hotel near Disneyland in Los Angeles.

Napoles did not deny this but said all of their properties come from legitimate business.

"Hindi tatlo, isa lang ho malapit sa disneyland. May partner po kami mga foreigner, (7 million dollars) more or less. Pero hulugan iyun," she said.

"Wala po na nanggaling sa gobyerno, ni piso. Lahat pong yan ay hanapubuhay namin galing sa aming pinaghirapan," she added. "Kaming mag-asawa ay nagpapakamatay na maghanapbuhay para maibigay po namin sa aming mga anak."

Former AFP supplier

Former Marine Col. Ariel Querubin said Napoles was only a minor Armed Forces supplier in the past.

He said Napoles was also borrowing money for capital from his late wife, Loreta.




Querubin and Janet's husband Jimmy were part of the 1989 coup attempt against the Cory Aquino government.

This made them close, with Janet also becoming a godmother of Querubin's daughter.

He remembered the Napoles couple had a simple home in Biñan, Laguna.

This made him wonder about the family's posh lifestyle now.

He said Janet Napoles must face justice if it is proven that her family wealth is ill-gotten and came from public money.

"They have to prove that. Kung mapruwebahan panagutan nila. Pera ng taxpayers yung allegedly nagamit. Dapat managot sila sa taumbayan," Querubin said.

Janet has been placed on the Bureau of Immigration's lookout bulletin.

In a memo dated July 15, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima instructed Immigration officers to discreetly be on alert for Janet Lim Napoles and her brother Jojo Lim should either of them pass through the air or sea ports in the country and to immediately inform her or the NBI should either attempt to leave the country. - with reports from Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America; Anthony Taberna, ABS-CBN News

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jeane Napoles' ritzy lifestyle triggers online firestorm

MANILA - Jeane Napoles -- the daughter of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles who is tagged as the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel and Malampaya scam -- has found herself in the middle of an online firestorm due to her lavish lifestyle.

The younger Napoles has deleted her Instagram accounts showing photos of Porsche cars, designer bags, expensive shoes, and jewelry her parents bought for her, but some of the photos and a video clip have made their way to the public eye.

Her old Tumblr account has not been deleted. It shows her taste in fashion as well as her passion for travel and parties.

Another video clip sourced from Vimeo and made public on YouTube also shows how she spent her 21st birthday party at Beverly Hills.

Her mother, in a "TV Patrol" interview, has confirmed the authenticity of the cars and luxury items her daughter owns, but said these were paid using money earned in their legitimate business ventures.

The revelation has triggered various responses online.

Some expressed disgust over the young Napoles' ostentatious display of wealth.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com