More lawmakers question inclusion in pork scam list
MANILA, Philippins—More former members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday questioned their being named in Benhur Luy’s files of lawmakers who had dealings with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
“It’s confusing,” said former Laguna 2nd District Rep. Justin Marc Chipeco. “How can you release money without a Saro (special allotment release order), without an obligation? Use your common sense.”
He said Luy’s list was something that he himself could make and claim to be authentic. “You have to look at the paper trail, that’s the rule of thumb (in journalism),” he said.
Former Laguna 4th District Rep. Edgar “Egay”San Luis said he saw politics in the inclusion of his brother, the late Rodolfo San Luis, in the Luy files.
“I see politics behind this list, but I’d rather not comment since my brother is already gone,” San Luis said.
Rodolfo San Luis was representative of Laguna’s 4th District from 1998 to 2004. He died in 2010 due to liver cirrhosis. He was 63.
Article continues after this advertisementA mistake
Article continues after this advertisementFormer Quezon 3rd District Rep. Danilo Suarez said his listing as a Napoles client was a mistake.
“I don‘t know Janet Napoles, her employers, agents or any of her associates. I‘m willing to face any investigation to clear my name,” Suarez said.
“Sometime in 2004, I received farm inputs, not cash, from the Department of Agriculture,” he said, adding that his second term started on July 1, 2004.
Signatures forged
Suarez was twice a three-termer in the House (1992-2001 and 2004-2013). His wife, Rep. Aleta Suarez, replaced him in the House from 2001 to 2004. She was elected again last year.
Former Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Rodolfo Valencia said his statement had been published in the Inquirer and he had been interviewed on Channel 7 about the use of forgery in the filching of funds from his PDAF allocation.
“Since Feb. 13, 2012, I have informed the Commission on Audit that my signatures were falsified. I also wrote (Justice) Secretary (Leila) de Lima last Dec. 2, 2013, and attached several documents showing the fake signatures,” Valencia said.
Checking Saro members
Former Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Alfonso Umali said he was having the Saro numbers in Luy’s files checked.
“I didn’t even know Napoles when I was a congressman, so it’s impossible,” he said, referring to his supposed dealings with Napoles.
Speaking in Hong Kong in a telephone interview with the Inquirer, Teodoro Kalaw IV, a lawyer for former Occidental Mindoro Rep. Amelita Villarosa, said Villarosa was never involved in any transaction with the Department of Agriculture.
Kalaw said Villarosa’s camp was tracing the Saro, and would issue a written statement soon.
Villarosa, in a separate phone interview, vehemently denied involvement in the pork barrel scam.
Shot dead
Former Masbate 3rd District Rep. Fausto Seachon appeared in Luy’s files. He was shot dead in Caloocan City in June 2005.
The Inquirer tried to contact Masbate Gov. Rizalina Lanete, former representative of the province’s 3rd District whose name also appears in Luy’s files, but her staff said she was “out of town.”
Vida Espinosa, former representative of Masbate’s First District, is now a private citizen and rarely visits her family’s home on Ticao Island.
Emilio Espinosa, former representative of the 2nd district of Masbate, is 92 and retired. He could not be reached for comment, as his family does not allow journalists to speak to him.
