Napoles not at Discovery Suites, says firm’s exec

Janet Lim-Napoles (in photo) was not at Discovery Suites on Saturday as reported, says Jun C. Parreno Jr., chief operating officer of Discovery Leisure. EDWIN BACASMAS / INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—An official of Discovery Leisure Co. on Sunday denied that fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles was at Discovery Suites in Pasig City on Saturday to buy Philippine Airline (PAL) tickets using her credit card.

Jun C. Parreno Jr., chief operating officer of Discovery Leisure, was reacting to a claim by a source in the National Bureau of Investigation that Napoles had bought P184,985 worth of PAL tickets online using her credit card while she was at Discovery Suites.

The story about the reported purchases was based on information from the NBI, and appeared in the Inquirer in its Sunday issue.

The story said no details about the tickets, such as destinations and dates of travel, were available.

In a letter to the Inquirer last night, Parreno said: “It is not true that … Napoles was at Discovery Suites on [Saturday] to purchase [PAL] tickets, nor to pay for any hotel-related services.”

“No Mrs. Janet Lim-Napoles-related transactions of any kind were attempted or took place on 17 August 2013 at the Discovery Suites,” Parreno said.

He added: “In the same light, we wish to clarify that JLN Corp. [headed by Napoles] does not hold office at Discovery Suites. JLN Corp. holds office at Discovery Center, a 42-story building housing several offices and Discovery Suites.”