What about Malampaya Fund probe? Estrada asks

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada POOL PHOTO (file)

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Monday took to task Sen. Teofisto Guingona III for his failure to keep his promise to inquire into the P900-million Malampaya Fund scam.

From his detention room in the national police headquarters, Estrada said he could think of two reasons why the blue ribbon committee, chaired by Guingona, had dragged its feet on the inquiry.

Estrada, facing trial over the P10-billion pork barrel scam, said he believed Guingona was not interested in investigating the scam, and that he was “shielding” administration allies who might be linked to it.

“When will the Senate blue ribbon committee start its probe of the alleged multibillion-peso Malampaya scam?” he wondered in a statement he issued from Camp Crame in Quezon City.

‘It’s not true’

Guingona, who skipped Monday’s session because he had a speaking engagement in Batangas, scoffed at Estrada’s claims.

“It’s not true. We will investigate. We’re still gathering as much information as we can before we start the hearings,” he said in a text message sent through his staff.

At the opening of the second regular session last week, Guingona said the committee was still “assessing” when to push through with the inquiry into the Malampaya Fund mess.

Guingona said the committee would still look into the pork barrel scam this time in the larger investigation of the Malampaya scam, but “there’s no date yet.”

The Department of Budget and Management cleared the release of P900 million from the Malampaya Fund in December 2009 for assistance to agrarian reform beneficiaries affected by back-to-back Tropical Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” that hit Luzon.

However, the amount was remitted instead to Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam, through 12 nongovernment organizations (NGOs) that she had set up.

Begun in 2002, the Malampaya project involves the extraction of natural gas from the waters off Palawan. The government collects royalties from the project.

Pressing issue

Estrada rued that the committee had not acted “to uncover the truth” behind the scam almost a year after it was exposed in the press and despite a resolution calling for a full-blown inquiry into it.

“The pressing issue of impending power supply shortage in 2015 and the calls for the President to resolve the energy crisis using emergency powers notwithstanding, the Senate is duty-bound to unmask the architect and its cohorts behind the scam that is said to be worse than the fertilizer fund scam and bigger than the pork barrel scam,” he said.

Arroyo, 23 others charged

An investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation showed that those who pocketed the amount meant to rehabilitate areas devastated by storms were officials of the Arroyo administration and Napoles.

In October last year, the DOJ charged former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, three of her Cabinet secretaries and 20 others with plunder in the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly stealing P900 million from the Malampaya Fund.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the NBI recommended that a preliminary investigation be conducted to determine if a case merited trial in the Sandiganbayan against the 24 who allegedly diverted and “stole” the fund coursed through the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in a scheme arranged by Napoles.

Napoles was among those named respondent with Arroyo, who is under hospital arrest for plunder in the alleged misuse of funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Also charged were Arroyo’s Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Undersecretary Narciso Nieto, Budget Secretary and now Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., Undersecretary Mario Relampagos and Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque.

Also in the charge sheet were DAR officials led by Teresita Panlilio, then director of finance and management administration office, and Angelita Cacananta, Nilda Baui, Dominador Sison Jr. and Ronald Venancio.

Besides Napoles, the private respondents included Ruby Tuason (a former aide of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada), Napoles’ relatives, and presidents and staff of her NGOs.

Whistle-blowers, all former Napoles employees, said Pangandaman received a P75-million kickback in cash from Napoles and through bank withdrawals care of Manlaque; Panlilio, P14 million received in cash from Napoles and through a bank withdrawal; Nieto, P6 million received through bank withdrawal care of Evelyn de Leon; and Tuason, P242.775 million received through bank withdrawals for a still “unidentified principal.”

Tuason’s husband is a cousin of Mike Arroyo, husband of the former President.

Campaign funds

Napoles tagged Tuason as the one who coaxed her into converting proceeds from the Malampaya gas project purportedly into campaign funds in 2010, and took much of the kickbacks.

Napoles, who dealt with Tuason on projects involving the pork barrel of lawmakers, said it all started when Tuason showed her a list of government funds amounting to P25 billion from Malacañang.

“She was then talking to a certain Medy Poblador while explaining at the same time the list of government funds,” Napoles said in an affidavit in May.

Napoles said Tuason referred her to the P900-million Malampaya fund that would be coursed through the DAR and handed her a special allotment release order dated Nov. 19, 2009.

Originally posted: 7:24 pm | Monday, August 4th, 2014