MANILA, Philippines– The Sandiganbayan entered a plea of “not guilty” for Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., after the lawmaker refused to enter any plea during his arraignment Thursday, in connection with the P10 billion pork barrel scam.
Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, on the other hand, entered a “not guilty” plea during her arraignment for the plunder charges filed before the anti-graft court.
Revilla is accused of having collected P224.4 million in kickbacks from 2006 to 2010 from the alleged illegal disbursement of his Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF).
Napoles, who is tagged as the pork barrel queen, is accused of conspiring with senators, congressmen and other public officials who allegedly got as much as 50 percent in commissions for ghost projects of alleged fake non-government organizations under her.
Aside from Revilla, two other senators – Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile – have also been indicted for plunder and graft. Revilla and Estrada have already surrendered to the police and are now currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
The government has said it might have special considerations for Enrile’s detention considering his old age. The former senate president is already 90 years old. (Eagle News Service)