(Eagle News) — Twenty former and incumbent lawmakers were tagged in a P500-million malversation complaint filed in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. The complaint tagged allegedly fake non-government organizations which are not linked to Janet Lim Napoles.
Atty. Levito Baligod, former lawyer of pork barrel witness Benhur Luy, urged the Ombudsman to investigate Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr., an former senator Edgardo Angara for allegedly channeling their PDAF or pork barrel funds to allegedly bogus NGOs. This allegedly happened from 2007 to 2010.
Also charged were former House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Representatives Niel Tupas, Carol Lopez, Edgar San Luis, Arturo Robes, Rodolfo Antonino, Julio Ledesma IV, and Francis Bichara. Seven other former congressmen were also included in the complaint. They are former lawmakers Joseph Santiago, Roberto Cajes, Florencio Miraflores, Reno Lim, Maria Arago, Rachel Arenas, and Marina Clarete
Technical and Educational Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Joel Villanueva and Governor Alfonso Umali Jr., (former Oriental Mindoro representative) were also included in the complaint.
Baligod said that malversation was a non-bailable offense.
He said that although his latest complaint did not involve NGOs linked to Napoles, these NGOs has used the same strategy.
Baligod said the government implementing agency involved in the new cases is National Agri-business Corporation (Nabcor), whose former officials, Victor Cacal and Rhodora Mendoza, are now testifying in the ongoing pork barrel scam trials.
He said that the supporting documents of the new complaint were already in the possession of the Department of Justice. This was because the complaint was part of the original complaint.
Baligod presented copies of bank documents such as checks in his complaint as his preliminary evidence. He also said that certain officials of the Commission on Audit officials should be investigated.