Enrile: Evidence shows I never backed NGOs tagged in ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said Monday that even the government’s evidence showed that he never endorsed any non-government organization involved in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

If he had played any role at all, Enrile said it was to identify “specific projects” to be funded under his priority development assistance fund (PDAF) allocation as requested by local government officials.

Such procedure was required by laws and regulations, and was practiced by all lawmakers, hence, it was “ridiculous” to charge him for obeying the law, the senator said.

Enrile said in a statement that he filed a counter-affidavit last December 20 refuting all the charges filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation and Levito Baligod, lawyer of the scam whistleblowers, with the Office of the Ombudsman.

Enrile is facing a plunder complaint over the scam together with Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles and 34 others.

Through dummy foundations, forged signatures of officials and strong political connections, Napoles allegedly managed to convert P10 billion in pork barrel funds into kickbacks, much of which ended up in the pockets of the lawmakers.

In a special audit, the Commission on Audit reported that P6.2 billion in pork was transferred to 82 NGOs from 2007 to 2009, including at least eight that had links to alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles.

The funds were sourced from Revilla (P413.29 million), Enrile (P332.7 million), Estrada (P191.58 million) and Sen. Gregorio Honasan (P14.55 million).

Contrary to public perception, Enrile said it was solely the implementing agency that designated the NGOs to implement the projects.

Citing the Supreme Court, Enrile said that the executive department takes full control of the system “from the regulation of fund releases, the implementation of payment schedules and up to the actual spending of the funds.”

“Should not that power also come with full responsibility and accountability?” he said.

Enrile said even the CoA admitted that the implementing agencies could not “relegate this duty to the legislator.”

Enrile disputed the theory that he “may” have induced the agencies or the NGOs into misusing his PDAF allocation.

He said that the documents appearing to establish his alleged involvement or that of his staff were all “forged and fabricated” as admitted by whistleblowers Merlina Suña and Benhur Luy.

Besides, Enrile claimed that he did not personally know any of the agency officials nor had he met Napoles. And neither he nor his staff had been to Napoles’ office.

The senator said there was “no piece of evidence, much less proof, to establish even the suspicion of conspiracy in a fair mind.”

Enrile also said there was no testimonial or documentary evidence showing that he received any commissions or kickbacks. He denied receiving “a centavo of ill-gotten wealth.”

All whistleblowers admitted they never saw him receive any amount from Janet Lim-Napoles, much less 50 percent of the PDAF fund involved, he said.

Enrile said Luy himself has sworn that he merely put down in his accounting ledger whatever Napoles instructed him to put down and that Luy himself admitted that he has no personal knowledge of these alleged transactions.

The source documents of any alleged payoffs to anyone were shredded and destroyed by Luy’s group, as Luy admitted, he added.

Enrile said that while he respected the old adage that everyone, including his critics, was “entitled to their own opinions,” he does not believe, however, that this gives them the freedom to create their own “facts.”

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