Jinggoy disputes ex-senator Angara’s claim he didn’t spend his DAP
SENATOR Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who has been charged with plunder and detained in connection with the pork barrel funds scam, has hinted at former Senator Edgardo Angara’s involvement in the scam.
Estrada said Angara’s claim in his new biography that he was not aware where his P50 million allocation from the Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP) went was “quite disturbing to the point of being reckless.”
“Sen. Angara actually need not look far where he spent his fund allocation. Perhaps looking into the COA Special Audit Report which made a finding that he has funneled his PDAF to his very own foundation, the Kalusugan ng Bata, Karunungan ng Bayan, Inc. where he was listed as an Incorporator/BOD/Stockholder may shed light into his uncertainty,” he said in a statement.
COA is Commission on Audit while PDAF is Priority Development Assistance Fund also known as “pork barrel” funds.
“And if Sen. Angara would still feign certain misgivings, maybe Ms. Ruby Tuason can refresh his memories where his PDAF allocations went,” Estrada added.
Tuason was a close friend of Estrada’s family until she turned against the detained senator on the pork scam.
READ: Tuason: I personally delivered money to Jinggoy Estrada
But Angara had already denied that any links to the scam, saying his pork barrel allocations when he was in the Senate never went to fake organizations.
In 2013, Estrada exposed in a privilege speech that senators who voted to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona were given P50 million DAP allocation each as “incentive.”
In the book titled “Edgardo J. Angara: In the grand manner,” the former senator described Estrada’s allegation in that speech as “unfair” and “reckless.”
READ: Angara book: Fernando Poe steered clear of Estrada in 2004 polls
Angara though admitted getting the DAP allocation but said he was not certain where it went as he was already preparing to retire from the Senate at that time. It was very like though that the money went to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“I take exception to the remarks of my former colleague Sen. Angara, as I believe it was neither reckless nor unfair, but a statement of fact,” the detained senator said.
“As I had mentioned in my privilege speech (“The Untold PDAF Story That the People Should Know”) last September 25, 2013, that additional allocation was provided in a private and confidential letter memorandum of the then chair of the Senate finance committee, Sen. Franklin Drilon,” he said.
Estrada said it was his exposé that the DAP was first brought to light.
“It is under the DAP where the collective allotment was taken from as admitted later on by Sec. Butch Abad,” he said, referring to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.
“Without such exposé, the people would not have known about the unlawful and arbitrary use of public funds by Sec. Abad under the Aquino administration, which was eventually declared as unconstitutional by no less than the Supreme Court.”
“Nevertheless, let me reiterate my assertion that I stand by my decision in my vote to convict the former Chief Justice and assure our people that I was never influenced by this incentive which came after the fact,” he further said. AC
