Lawmakers got 50% of pork barrel funds: whistleblower

By Shiela Mae Butlig, Paola Gaabucayan and Ben Balce

CORRUPT lawmakers got half of the pork barrel funds that were released by the government for projects through foundations linked to Janet Lim Napoles, whistleblower Benhur Luy told the televised Senate blue ribbon committee yesterday.

The sharing of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations was 50/50. Uy said if the PDAF allocation is P10 million, a lawmaker would receive P2.5 million upon the submission of list of projects and the other half upon the release of the special allotment release order.

Without naming names, Luy said senators, one of them whom he merely called “si sexy,” received money from Napoles, the central figure in the P10-billion pork barrel scam. He said Napoles is the mastermind.

Luy, who served as Napoles’s personal assistant, said the “shares” would be given in cash and sometimes come in manager’s checks although not in the name of senators.

Most of the time, the money was delivered to the senators but there were also occasions when the money was given to senators’ chiefs of staff, he said.

Luy said members of the Lower House received their shares through fund transfers or through their trusted aides.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Luy consented to face the Senate committee and agreed to answer questions from senators because he is in the best position to complete the narrative of how the PDAF scam operation worked.

De Lima said Luy was under threat.

Speaking before the committee, de Lima said that despite being the source of information, whistleblowers were far from feeling heroic.

“Mainly they are afraid of becoming the instruments who can bring down some of the most powerful political figures in the country if not the whole pre-modern system of patronage politics as we know it,” de Lima said. “While many of us are the threshold of the public awakening demanding transparency and accountability and cannot wait to hear their stories first hand, the fact that these narratives started with a kidnapping or serious illegal detention should remind us that whistle blowing is really not a safe preoccupation.”

Meanwhile, Cagayanons who staged the second rally against the pork barrel system in Divisoria, this city, on Wednesday said they were not satisfied with the ruling of the Supreme Court this week to issue a temporary restraining order  againbst the release of the remaining PDAF allocations for this year.

About 500 people, mostly youth and religious leaders, gathered for the “prayer rally” at Kiosko Kagawasan, and called for the abolition of the pork barrel system.

Monsignor Rey Monsanto said the local Roman Catholic archdiocese is definitely for the abolition of pork barrel system because of how it has been abused and used as a milking cow of the corrupt. Monsanto is a consultor of the archdiocese.

“The archbishop (Antonio Ledesma) encourages our people to join all activities until the ‘pork’ is abolished,” Monsanto said.

Parish priests, he said, are now helping in creating awareness about the pork barrel system among their parishioners.

One of the rally organizers, Tito Mora, said many students from XavierUniversity came to lead the rally.

Romel Sabidor, an artist, said he came and joined the rally because he was for a “hapsay” kind of government.

“The TRO is not enough. What we need is the abolition of PDAF,” he said.

Sabidor said the country also needs to get rid of the “mga buaya sa katilingban.”

Danaes Solijon, a business administration student at XavierUniversity, said she wished more people would become aware of how public funds are being wasted because of the pork barrel system. She said all Filipinos are affected by the pork barrel corruption.

Canossian  sister  Fely Arellano said she wants those behind the pork barrel scam prosecuted and punished.

At the capitol, Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano, a former congressmen, said the Supreme Court’s ruling to issue the TRO should be respected.

Emano said he was for the abolition of the pork barrel system on condition that there will be an assurance that government projects and services would not be compromised. (with reports from PNA)