Palace releases its version of timeline of Napoles surrender
Janet Lim-Napoles INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines– Chronology of events leading to the voluntary surrender of Janet Lim-Napoles, according to presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda:
August 28, Wednesday morning: President Aquino announced a P10-million reward for Napoles’ arrest.
12:37p.m.– Lacierda phoned Napoles’ lawyer, Lorna Kapunan about her supposed interview on television that her client was willing to surrender.
“We would like to surrender. If at all, let me confirm with my client that we would like to surrender to the President,” Lacierda quoted Kapunan as saying.
When he asked why the President, Lacierda said, Kapunan told him: “Because [he’s] the person that we trust.”
Lacierda then immediately reported his conversation with Kapunan to the President.
4:06 p.m.– Kapunan phoned Lacierda to say that Napoles was willing to surrender to the President.
“Her (Napoles) only request was that her safety be secured, owing to the fact that there was, on her part, there was fear for or there were threats on her life,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda said he immediately went back to the President, who at that time had already made instructions to Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.
6:50 p.m. Lacierda, along with escorts provided by Roxas to secure Napoles,
left the Palace to meet with Kapunan in Pasong Tamo, Makati City.
On his way, however, the spokesman said, he got a call from Kapunan, asking him to meet him at the White Space.
At the White Space, Lacierda said he saw Kapunan with Napoles’ husband, Jimmy.
“They boarded the vehicle where I was,” Lacierda said.
It was Mr. Napoles, he said, who told them to go to Heritage Park in Taguig.
8:06 p.m.–The group arrived at the Heritage Park.
9:08 p.m., Mrs. Napoles and a female companion also arrived at the Heritage Park.
9:37 p.m.–The group, this time, with fugitive Napoles, arrived in Malacañang to meet with the President.
Lacierda said the meeting lasted for only about 10 minutes.
Among those present in the meeting aside from the President, Napoles, Lacierda, and Kapunan were Roxas, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Undersecretary Abigail Valte, Usec. Manolo Quezon and Secretary Ricky Carandang.
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