MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman proceeded on Friday (June 6) with the filing of plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan, an anti-graft court, against Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Jinggoy Estrada for the misuse of congressional funds, commonly known as “pork barrel,” worth billions of pesos.
Charged along with the three senators were the alleged brains behind the P10 billion “pork barrel” scam, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, and five others, namely, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes (Enrile’s former chief of staff), Richard Cambe (Revilla’s chief of staff), and Paulene Therese Mary C. Labayen (Estrada’s deputy chief of staff); Napoles, her fugitive brother, John Ronald Lim, and her driver-bodyguard, John Raymond de Asis.
Officials from the Office of the Ombudsman filed before the Sandiganbayan the three sets of “information for Plunder” against Enrile (docket number SB-14CRM-0238), Revilla (SB-14CRM-0240) and Estrada (SB-14CRM-0239) and their coaccused, at around 3 p.m. Friday.
The three senators – Enrile, a former senate president; Revilla Jr., also known for being a movie actor, and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, son of former president and Manila Mayor Joseph Estada and also a movie actor – were found to have amassed 172 million pesos, 242 million pesos and 183 million pesos, respectively, from illegal kickbacks.
It is considered as the biggest and highest profile case to be brought by President Aquino’s government to court since Aquino was elected to office in 2010 on a promise to battle corruption.
Malacanang, on Friday, said the filing of the plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan, against Senators Enrile, Estrada, and Revilla, and six others, was a “step forward in the determination of the truth.”
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a text message to reporters, said: “It is a step forward in the determination of the truth which will be the basis for exacting accountability under our justice system.”
Senate President Franklin Drilon, on the other hand, termed it as “part of the constitutional and legal process which we must accept and respect.”
“The search for truth may be painful, but this is a process that strengthens our government institutions and reinforces the trust and confidence of our people in our justice system. We are a government of laws, not of men. And no one is above the law,” Drilon said.
Plunder is a non-bailable offense. This means that unless a petition for bail is filed and eventually granted, those charged will remain in detention while undergoing trial.
An indictment for plunder normally does not allow the defendant to post bail. Arrest warrants may be issued within a week or two.
At least two former Philippine presidents have been charged with plunder in the past, and arrested. They are former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Estrada was pardoned by then President Arroyo in October 2007, after more than six years of trial before the Sandiganbayan where the information for plunder and perjury was filed in April 2001. Before that, the Sandiganbayan decided that Estrada was guilty of plunder in September 2007.
Rep. Arroyo, on the other hand, was charged with plunder by the Ombudsman in July 2012 in connection with the alleged misuse of intelligence funds worth P366 million of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes office, She was likewise charged with plunder by the National Bureau of Investigation before the Ombudsman for alleged involvement in the P900-million Malampaya fund scam.
Estrada’s spokesman for legal matters Alexis Abastillas said they are considering filing a petition for the determination of probable cause regarding the plunder charges.
He said the Sandiganbayan has 10 days to determine probable cause before an arrest warrant can be issued.
For his part, Revilla is reportedly scheduling a privilege speech on Monday about these developments.
Enrile, had not given any statement so far.
The cases are expected to be raffled off to Sandiganbayan divisions next week. The anti-graft court’s Fourth Division chaired by Associate Justice Gregory Ong has already inhibited.
The criminal complaints were filed a day after the Office of the Ombudsman junked the motions for reconsideration of Enrile, Revilla and Estrada and proceeded with the indictments.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said the appeals filed by the lawmakers were merely rehashed arguments already ruled on and considered by the special panel of investigators during the preliminary investigation.
The senators face life imprisonment and forfeiture of any assets they may have illegally acquired.
Manila loses about 200 billion pesos a year to corruption, or about 1.8 percent of economic output. It has drained government coffers and entrenched poverty in the Philippines, a country of 97 million people.
