Details of ‘pork’ deals bared

MANILA, Philippines - Out of the P729.35 million in pork barrel funds released to their offices from 2007 to 2009, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada received at least P322.3 million in combined commissions, delivered in duffel bags stuffed with cash.  

These allegations are contained in Janet Lim-Napoles’ draft affidavit that presidential assistant on rehabilitation and recovery Panfilo Lacson had turned over to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee last Tuesday.

Napoles gave details, including what those involved were wearing, on how she personally delivered the commissions separately to Estrada and Revilla. 

The total commissions for the three senators allegedly reached as much as P322.317 million, with Enrile getting the biggest share of P116.115 million; Estrada P110 million and Revilla P96.202 million.

Napoles detailed how money changed hands, sometimes between her and the two senators, as well as some of their trusted aides and staff members.

Napoles also allegedly handled the PDAF allocations of Enrile, who was then Senate president, but she claimed to have dealt mostly with lawyer Lucilla “Gigi” Reyes, Enrile’s former chief of staff.

Based on Napoles’ affidavit, Enrile cornered 45 percent out of every amount that a PDAF project covered, supported by SARO numbers.

The agent allegedly got 10 percent, while the conduits in the implementing agencies netted five to 10 percent commission for every PDAF-related transaction.

Napoles recorded about P116.115 million in commission for Enrile covered by at least six SAROs, from March 6, 2007 to September 2009.

Enrile’s alleged commission ranged from P8.640 million to P25.65 million out of the P270 million in pork releases to various implementing agencies.

The P270-million total PDAF amount involved in the initial six transactions were covered by SARO # 07-04618, March 6, 2007 for P20 million; SARO # ROCS-08-05216, July 11, 2008, for P50 million; SARO # ROS 0807211, March 3, 2008 for P50 million; SARO # 09-04592, July 9, 2009 involving P50 million; SARO # 09-04996, July 10, 2009 involving P60 million, and SARO # G-09-07112, Sept. 25, 2006 involving P40 million.

In the unsigned affidavit, Napoles said former presidential social secretary Ruby Tuason acted as “agent,” in the first few instances, for the Enrile accounts.

“Sometime in July 2009, Lucila ‘Gigi’ Reyes called me… and told me to bring the cash to meet up with her car in the back lobby of Discovery Suites,” she said.

It was sometime in July 2009 when Reyes allegedly started to deal with Tuason involving a P40-million PDAF transaction.

It was during that phone call when Reyes allegedly asked her to put the P8.550 million in a sealed paper bag, which Napoles handed to Reyes’ staff member who arrived in her gold Toyota Sequoia (SUV) bearing plate number ‘7’.

Napoles said she gave the second tranche of Enrile’s commission sometime in October 2009, which her driver delivered to Reyes’ residence at 2 Yakan Street, La Vista, Quezon City.

Along with Enrile’s alleged commission, Reyes also got her five percent (less tax) commission amounting to P1.9 million, she added.

Napoles identified the implementing agencies as Technology Resource Center (TRC), National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC), National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor), Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

In several instances, Napoles said she was also coordinating with the conduits of various lawmakers, whom she described as agents, to ensure the availability of PDAF-related projects.

“We always coordinate with the agent because it is the latter who has direct connection with the agency and lawmaker,” she said.

Napoles contradicted reports that she amassed as much as P10 billion out of the pork barrel scam operations.

Estrada allegedly got as much as P96.202 million in commissions covering P184.35 million in pork releases between 2008 to 2009.

The alleged transactions involving Estrada were covered by SARO number ROCS-08-01698, dated Feb. 15, 2008, amounting to P25 million; SARO # ROCS-09-02770, May 5, 2009 for P9.7 million; SARO ROCS # G-09-07076, Sept. 25, 2009 for P31 million; SARO # G-09-07579, Oct. 12, 2009 for P50 million; SARO # 09-09580, Dec. 29, 2009, P24.250 million and SARO # F-09579, Dec. 29, 2009, for P25 million.

Napoles said that in SARO # 07-04618, dated March 6, 2007, Enrile allegedly received 45 percent “less tax” equivalent to P8.640 million.

In this transaction, Tuason allegedly picked up her commission from Napoles’ office at Discovery Suites unit 2502.

Napoles recalled that Tuason specifically directed her to place Enrile’s share in a box, while Tuason’s P1.920-million share was put in her bag.

Napoles said she also met with director Antonio Ortiz in Pancake House at Malayan Building in Ortigas, where she handed over P1.920 million in commission.

Dennis Cunanan’s P960,000 share was given by her nephew, John Lim, at a car showroom in Edsa, Greenhills, she added.

In a P50-million project, Napoles recalled that on Tuason’s instructions, she prepared P10.912 million in advance commissions for Enrile while Tuason’s share was P2.425 million.

Estrada said he did not take part in Napoles’ alleged pork scam operations.

Based on Napoles’ unsigned affidavit, Revilla received 40 percent commission from the allocation of pork barrel funds in the projects in the DA and DAR, TRC and NLDC.

Richard Cambe, a member of Revilla’s staff, allegedly prepared the documents for the projects.

Napoles’ alleged transactions with Revilla were covered by at least five SAROs, with PDAF allocations involving P20 million to P80 million from March 17, 2009 to October 2009.

The implementing agencies include the agriculture and agrarian reform departments, NDLC, TRC, and NABCOR.

The contacts were identified as Ofelia Agawin, Allan Umali (DA); Teresita Panlilio and Narciso Nieto (DAR); Alexis Sevidal (NLDC); Antonio Ortiz and Dennis Cunanan (TRC); Rhodora Mendoza and Antonio Ortiz (Nabcor).

Estrada and Revilla have decried what they claimed as political persecution against them.

In her unsigned affidavit, Napoles said she was  requesting to be a state witness and to be eligible for immunity under the Ombudsman Act.

“The main reason why my NGOs are often chosen is due to the fact that I can give the 50 percent commission agreed upon including above payments, and I made sure to make the corresponding delivery of products as well,” read  the unsigned affidavit.

Napoles said her pork barrel scam started when she supplied fertilizers to some lawmakers, whom she gave as much as 50 percent commission.

She also provided numbers of the SAROs which involved millions of pesos of PDAF allocations of lawmakers.

At one point, she recalled meeting with Revilla at his Ayala Alabang residence in 2009 where she allegedly handed over P8 million as full payment, while Cambe received five percent or P1 million in commission for that particular project.

Sevidal also allegedly received a P950,000 commission, which Napoles’ staff Evelyn de Leon delivered to his NLDC office in Makati.

In SARO # ROCS-09-02770 dated May 5, 2009, Napoles claimed that P9.7 million was released to Nabcor where Estrada received a 45 percent commission equivalent to P4.365 million.

Tuason received 10 percent or P970,000, and Nabcor executive Allan Javellana P970,000 representing his 10 percent commission.

Rhoda Mendoza allegedly received five percent of her share, equivalent to P485,000.

Lacson submitted the 30-page unsigned statement, along with a six-page narration of events and three-page list of names of lawmakers and other personalities implicated by Napoles in the pork barrel scam.

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano allegedly received 50 percent commission in transactions that went through a certain Tito Boy, who acted as his agent.

Cayetano also allegedly received campaign funds from Napoles in the last elections, and that the money was personally delivered by Napoles to the Slice Restaurant in The Fort, which is allegedly owned by Cayetano’s sister Pia.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III had denied claims that his former wife negotiated for 50 percent commissions out of his PDAF projects coursed through Napoles.

Legarda had vehemently denied misusing her PDAF. She reportedly received a 45 percent share through projects negotiated by Maya Santos (who gets 10 to 15 percent commission).

Prior to joining Legarda’s office, Santos reportedly worked as staff member of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and at the Department of Agriculture as head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Santos eventually became close to Benhur Luy.