Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed the third batch of pork scam cases at the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday afternoon (August 7).
In the executive summary issued on Friday by the NBI, it found sufficient evidence for the referral to the Ombudsman of the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) cases against one senator and eight other former and incumbent members of the House of Representatives who are allegedly involved in malversation, direct bribery, and other graft and corrupt practices.
The NBI accused Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II, Rep. Amado Bagatsing, former Rep. Conrado Estrella III, former Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella, former Rep. Manuel C. Ortega, Rep. Victor Francisco Ortega, former Rep. Isidro Real, Jr., Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, and former Rep. and now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) chief Emmanuel Joel Villanueva of allegedly transacting with businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles to divert their PDAF allocations.
The executive summary stated that the lawmakers “used their PDAF in illegal transactions with Janet Lim Napoles’ NGOs to enable themselves to profit from the simulated disbursements and utilization of their PDAF.”
Ghost NGOs, ghost projects
Seven NGOs were used as conduits for the scam by the lawmakers identified, and as facilitated by employees of three implementing agencies, namely, National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC), Technology Resource Center (TRC), and National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR).
The seven NGOs, meanwhile, were identified as Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (AEPFFI), Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc. (PSDFI), Country Agri and Rural Economic and Development Foundation, Inc. (CARED), Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (SDPFFI), People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation, Inc. (POPDFI), Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, Inc. (MAMFI), and Philippine Agri and Social Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (PASEDFI).
The executive summary said that “all Napoles NGOs are ghost NGOs implementing ghost projects for Congressmen and Senators.”
The amount of kickbacks the nine lawmakers allegedly received from Napoles were as follows:
Gregorio B. Honasan II – P1.75 million
Amado S. Bagatsing – P600,000.00
Conrado M. Estrella III – P45.03 million
Robert Raymund M. Estrella – P22.675 million
Manuel C. Ortega – P14.35 million
Victor Francisco C. Ortega – P9.5875 million
Isidro E. Real, Jr. – P3.25 million
Rufus B. Rodriguez – P2.099 million
Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva – P2.330 million
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that this is is the final batch of cases to be filed involving the diversion of public funds to Napoles-controlled nongovernment organizations.
She further explained the process.
“Like in any other case, the Ombudsman will first carry out its own fact-finding and preliminary investigation before it decides whether or not to pursue these cases in court.”
Villanueva, one of the respondents, said on Friday that he never transacted with Napoles and added he’s prepared to face any case that will be filed against him.
Bagatsing, on the other hand, said he will answer all the accusations before the Ombudsman. He added that Napoles had earlier retracted her accusation against him.
Here is a copy of the executive summary:
CNN Philippines’ AC Nicholls contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Kindly refresh the page for updates.
