Pork arraignment: Bong Revilla in sunny mood; Napoles evasive

Philippine Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., a popular actor accused of receiving 224 million pesos ($5.1 million) in kickbacks from a scam that allegedly diverted millions of dollars from anti-poverty and development funds allotted to lawmakers’ pet projects, waves to reporters after attending his arraignment at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 26, 2014. Revilla, one of three Philippine senators accused of plunder, has refused to enter a plea during arraignment by the anti-graft court in the biggest corruption trial in the country in more than a decade. He is currently being held in custody in a detention facility at the Philippine National Police headquarters. AP

MANILA, Philippines—Donned in a white “barong,” Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. doesn’t seem to show signs of jail life when he faced the Sandiganbayan division hearing his plunder and graft case over the pork barrel scam.

Before he was arraigned, Revilla was in a jollier mood, talking and smiling to his family relatives who attended the hearing. When his wife Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado arrived, he pecked her on the cheek. Lani sat behind Revilla, literally having her husband’s back.

The alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles was in a stark contrast to Revilla. She seemed thinner, haggard-looking – and, unlike Revilla, she rarely smiled.

She wore a simpler garb – jacket and sneakers, and a pair of shades.

Revilla looked like he came from a stylist for a movie. Napoles, however, looked like she just came from a jogging routine.

When the session was put in order, both Napoles and Revilla stood before the justices with just one person between them — another co-accused in plunder, Atty. Richard Cambe, who is Revilla’s legislative officer — and not once did they look at each other.

This is the first time Revilla and Napoles were seen together since the corruption scandal was blown wide open.

When the panel asked him for his plea, Revilla’s mood darkened as he said: “I refuse to enter any plea.” He refused to look behind him, staring straight ahead at the justices’ table.

Napoles seemed more uneasy, standing before the justices her eyes squinted. At one point, she glanced behind her, possibly giving her away to the glare of cameramen ogling to get a shot outside the court room door.

When asked for her plea, Napoles almost squeaked: “Not guilty.”

Napoles was the first to leave the courtroom after the arraignment. Trying to hide herself from the cameras, a smirking Napoles slipped into her jacket’s hoodie and put on her sun shades as she skulked out of the courtroom, ignoring reporters’ questions.

Revilla, the actor that he is, was more media-savvy despite the police’s protests.

When he went out, he faced the cameras for a brief moment, declaring his love for his country in the face of a trial.

Like a movie script, Revilla said: “Mananatili tayong matatag at hindi tayo patitinag (We will remain strong and we will not falter.)

“Mahal ko kayong mga Pilipino (I love you all, fellow Filipinos),” he added. He was cut short by the police who tugged him away from reporters.

Revilla and Napoles led the 16 pork barrel scam suspects who were arraigned on Thursday, officially kicking off the court’s trial on the biggest corruption scandal under the current administration.

Napoles was accused of conspiring with public officials to earn kickbacks in the ghost implementation of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) meant to ease rural poverty.

Revilla, meanwhile, was accused of collecting P224.512 million kickbacks from 2006 to 2010 from the alleged illegal disbursement of his PDAF with the help of Napoles.

Revilla and Napoles both face one count of plunder and 16 counts of graft. Plunder is a non-bailable offense.

The others who were arraigned on Thursday are:

-Richard Cambe, Revilla’s legislative officer – One count of plunder, 16 counts of graft
-Dennis Cunanan, director general on-leave of the Technology Resource Center (TRC)- four counts of graft
-Rosalinda Lacsamana, group manager, TRC  – four counts of graft
-Marivic Jover, chief accountant, TRC – four counts of graft
-Eulogio Rodriguez, Napoles employee, JLN Corp. –  16 counts of graft
-Consuelo Espiritu, budget officer, TRC – three counts of graft
-Evelyn De Leon, Napoles’ employee- one count of graft
-Encarnita Munsod, supervisor, National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor)  – two counts of graft
-Maria Ninez Guanizo, bookkeeper, Nabcor  – four counts of graft
-Gondelina Amata, president, National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC)  – eight counts of graft
-Ofelia Ordonez, chief budget specialist, NLDC- eight counts of graft
-Chita Jalandoni, director, NLDC – seven counts of graft
-Gregoria Buenaventura, NLDC – eight counts of graft
-Jocelyn Piorato, Napoles’ employee – five counts of graft

The following were present but refused to enter a plea due to their pending motions before the court:

-Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos and his staff Lalaine Paule, Marilou Bare, Rosario Nunez – 16 counts of graft each

-Francisco Figura, group manager of TRC
-Rhodora Mendoza, director for Nabcor – four counts of graft.

The Sandiganbayan is hearing the biggest corruption scandal under the current administration – the alleged pillaging of public funds to ghost projects for kickbacks through the bogus foundations of alleged mastermind Napoles.

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