Honasan finds P1.75-M malversation raps ‘ridiculous’

VICE presidential aspirant Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II on Tuesday dismissed as “ridiculous” the malversation charges that the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed against him in August last year for the alleged misuse of his pork barrel funds amounting to P1.75 million.

“Do you think I will risk 17 years of being a soldier, seven years as a rebel and 18 years as a senator, and the name that my grandfather and father passed on to me for that amount?” asked Honasan, the running mate of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Honasan, the main guest at the breakfast forum at Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City, said the complaint against him was “ridiculous” because if he “passed the hat to my closest friends, I could have gotten more.”

The senator said the P1.75 million he allegedly got as kickbacks from the ghost projects of suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles was “not even the cost of a low-end SUV.”

Trial by publicity

Honasan said the “worst part” of the allegation against him was the “trial by publicity” he got although he could take it.

“But what about my children? The children of those being put on the front pages and on the six-o’clock news. How about them? They go to school traumatized that their father is being accused of being a thief. Have I heard anyone say sorry?” he said.

That’s why Honasan said he was “enthusiastic” about the passage of a freedom of information bill because of this propensity to try, convict people and their reputation by publicity” which he stressed was not right.

He said the charges filed against him was still with the Ombudsman.

Honasan was among eight lawmakers charged with malversation and graft by the National Bureau of Investigation in August last year, the third batch of pork barrel cases involving Napoles.