Davao Sur governor says pork take could be much more

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Governot Claude Bautista of Davao del Sur, who was representative of the province’s second district from 2001 to 2007, said many lawmakers could have amassed more wealth from their dealings with alleged pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles.

Bautista, who admitted that Napoles is a family friend, said he, too, had been approached by so-called pork project agents when he was still a member of the House.

“The usual take was 40-60,” Bautista said.

That would be 40 percent of the project cost going into the pockets of the lawmakers and 60 percent going to bogus organizations of Napoles.

Pressed to name those who might have dealt with Napoles and her fake nongovernment organizations, Bautista said he could not.

“I was not present when they possibly made the deal with her, so how could I be sure that this or that lawmaker made money?” Bautista said.

“I had no way of knowing who made cash out of their PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund). What I am always sure of is that I was never one of them,” he said.

Bautista said he first met Jimmy, Napoles’ husband, “many years ago” when the elder Bautista, Benjamin, was still congressman of Davao del Sur.

Jimmy, according to the governor, sought help from the elder Bautista then. Since then, the governor said, the Napoles family had been close to the Bautistas.

The governor, however, said that while he is close to Napoles, he never took part in her scam. Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao