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Focus on the (PDAF) ball

September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

From Malacañang Files

Yesterday, photos of the President with Janet Napoles, the alleged brains of the mindboggling pork barrel scam, made the rounds in Facebook and Twitter. They were taken at the same occasion where Napoles daughter, Jeane, had her photo with President Aquino- after the national thanksgiving mass for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod in Cebu November last year.

Jeane’s picture with the President was sent to broadcaster Anthony Taberna Wednesday afternoon and made the rounds of social media immediately after it was posted.

Yesterday’s photos came from Malacañang. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said after checking Malacañang’s photo files of that Cebu event, they found more photos of the President with Janet herself and her husband, Jaime. He said in that event, a lot of people were having their pictures taken with the President.
He said they decided to release the pictures “so people would not speculate.” The President had earlier said he does not remember having met Napoles until her surrender last week in Malacañang.

But we doubt if we have seen the end of photo releases from different sources. Last Monday photos of Senate President Franklin Drilon with the Napoles couple were passed around in social media. Drilon said it was taken during an event at the Heritage Park in Taguig City where seminarians from China were guests.

At the same time, Drilon stressed that none of his Priority Development Assistance Fund went to any of Napoles bogus non-government organizations.

From the testimony of Ben Hur Luy, former associate of Napoles, and his fellow whistleblowers, at least ten persons will be charged in court. But those who are implicated in the Napoles scam- are reportedly taking a ‘scorched earth’ strategy of bringing down with them everybody.

It is good that social media is being used actively in making the public aware of the gross abuse of public resources. We should focus on the issue and not allow those who want to distract us to escape accountability.

Communications executive JB Baylon is spot on in his FB comment that “The question is not ‘do you have a picture with Napoles’ or ‘did you spend your PDAF’”. The question is ‘did you steal your PDAF — through Napoles or some bogus NGO or ghost project”? In the end it all boils down to accountability and transparency. “

JB said:”Let’s keep focused on the right issues and right questions folks. For obvious reasons, some interests want to muddle the issues.”

On the part of the officials, who had the misfortune of having been photographed with the social climbing Napoleses in one of those social gatherings they have attended (they could not be discriminating who to have pictures with in public), our advice is: “Grin and bear it. It comes with the territory.”

In the end, truth will prevail.

A picture does not make a story

September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

Damay-damay na. Jeane Napoles releases photo with PNoy.

There’s a politician I know who welcomes people having a picture taken with him marking them perhaps as a potential vote come Election Day.

In a few parties that I attended where Vice President Jejomar Binay was a guest, I noticed that he was always accompanied by a photographer. The VP gives out the website where one can view the photos.

But with the Janet Lim Napoles, alleged pork barrel scam queen exploding and dragging with her known political personalities, just being seen with her is a nightmare.

Malacañang is downplaying the importance of the picture of the luxury-loving Jeane Napoles with President Aquino which Malacañang has confirmed to be authentic.It was taken after the national thanksgiving mass for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod in Cebu November last year.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said,“I understand the photo was taken at an event last November in Cebu. She had her photo taken with the President, as did a dozen other people who lined up to have their photo taken with him.”

Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang also said, “I can confirm that there was an event that the President attended and there were 100 to 200 people there and at least a dozen people had their picture taken with him.Now we looked at the record, it seems Jeane Napoles was there and had her picture taken.”

Carandang said, “It’s no big deal.”

Now a stigma.

Monday,photos of Senate President Franklin Drilon with Napoles and her husband Jaime Napoles, a retired Marine officer, was the social media’s main menu.

Drilon has issued a statement that can thus be summarized: “A picture does not make a story.”

Drilon’s statement:”There is a clear effort to implicate me as guilty by association with the picture shown last night on television. Let me make it very clear that none of my PDAF allocations was ever assigned or given to any project of this Napoles or any of her NGOs. You can go through the DBM and COA websites and you can go through it with a fine comb and you will not see a single peso of my PDAF being assigned to any of the Napoles NGOs.

“The NGO that I work with is the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry where I have assigned a substantial portion of the PDAF to build classrooms all over the country at half the cost of government contractors and this is to fill in the gap at that time of the classroom shortage.

“ So, I have dealt with the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this is the NGO that I am working with to build classrooms all over the country. A substantial portion of my PDAF also goes to the indigent patients in National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Children’s Hospital and other government services where indigents would avail of this PDAF, none of the Napoles NGOs.

“Insofar as that picture is concerned, Mrs. Drilon and I were invited to a dinner. Mrs. Drilon, being an active church worker, was invited because the guests were seminarians from China who were here on a study tour. I repeat, these were Chinese seminarians who were here on a study tour. And, there were also orphans and street children who were beneficiaries of a church-led feeding program. Yes, we were there. Pictures were taken.

“But ang importante po ay walang piso ng aking PDAF ay nagpunta sa mga NGOs ni Jenny Napoles. Puwedeng mayroon pang lalabas ng ibang pictures kasi nakikita ko rin siya sa ibang social gatherings, there can be other pictures because I had seen her in other gatherings but you know, kami naman mga politico ay marami nag papapicture sa amin at hindi naman naming tinatanong kung “sino ka ba.” And I did not know the business of Ms. Napoles when all of these were happening. So, this is the situation. As I said, there is a clear effort to implicated me and make me appear as guilty by association. I reject such implication.”

Bounty hunters, despair not over Napoles surrender. Meron pa

August 30, 2013August 30, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

From the FB wall of Direk Joey Reyes who thanked Maria Jovita Zarate for it.

I told her not to despair because Napoles brother, Reynald, is still out there. The reward for his capture may not be P10 million but it would still be substantial. I told her to act fast or Pnoy might beat her to Napoles kin.

Aside from Reynald Lim, there’s former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and his brother, former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, suspects in the murder of broadcaster doctor Gerry Ortega. Their capture is worth P2 million each.

There’s also retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, wanted for the disappearance of two University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in Bulacan in 2006. Information about his whereabouts is worth P1 million.

Communications executive JB baylon, who is also chief fundraiser for the Philippine General Hospital said there’s also a P1,500 reward for “alias Berting”, a pickpocket victimizing students along Taft Avenue.

The way President Aquino welcomed Napoles, who is being investigated for allegedly diverting P10 billion worth of government funds to her and other politicians personal funds, even accompanying her to Camp Crame and making sure that she is given a room of her own while in detention for illegal detention of business associate,Benhur Luy, should be an incentive to the Reyes brothers and Palparan to also surface. With the right connection (get a lawyer who is close to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda) you will also get a presidential welcome.

Eat your heart out Jamalul Kiram III, sultan of Sulu, whom the President refused to see despite his letters of request for an audience to seek help on Sabah, their land occupied by Malaysia. Dapat magnakaw ka muna.

Lawyer Harry Roque released this statement by Center for International Law and Concerned Citizens Movement expressing their concern “that the President’s decision to allow Napoles to surrender to him, while legal, may have been unwise.”

CenterLaw and CCM said, “Certainly, Napoles could have surrendered herself to any SPO1 or to the nearest police station. She did not have to surrender to the President himself. The fact that the President allowed her to surrender to him may send a message that administrative allies may be spared from the ongoing investigation of irregularities on the spending of the PDAF.

“People expect Napoles to sing. The fact that she surrendered to the President may be viewed by the people as a signal that she will only implicate those in the opposition,” the statement said.

Roque, Chair of Centerlaw and co-convenor of Concerned Citizens Movement, said the investigation into the pork barrel should include everyone most especially those in the administration. “The kind of abuses that were committed by Napoles could only have been done by those in the political majority. Everyone involved should be investigated regardless of their political affiliation,” he said.

Napoles surrenders to Pres. Aquino

August 28, 2013August 28, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

Presidential Security Group (PSG) applies strict security clearance to fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, husband Jimmy and lawyer Atty. Lorna Kapunan upon arrival at the Malacañan Palace to yield herself to President Benigno S. Aquino III Wednesday night (August 28, 2013). The surrender feeler was sent by Atty. Kapunan to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda hours after President Aquino announced a P10-million reward to anyone who can give information for the immediate arrest of the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam. (Photo by: Rodolfo Manabat / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

Jaime Napoles, husband of Janet Napoles, at Malacanang (Photo by: Rodolfo Manabat / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

At 9:37 p.m on August 28, Janet Napoles surrendered to President Aquino. Napoles is wanted on charges of serious illegal detention arising from the alleged kidnapping of Benhur Luy.

The President turned her over to the custody of the Secretary of Interior and Local Government and the Chief of the Philippine National Police for processing and booking.

Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, husband Jimmy and lawyer Atty. Lorna Kapunan at the President’s Hall Receiving Area of the Malacañan Palace to yield herself to President Benigno S. Aquino III Wednesday night
(August 28, 2013). The surrender feeler was sent by Atty. Kapunan to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda hours after President Aquino announced a P10-million reward to anyone who can give information for the immediate arrest of the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam. (Photo by: Rodolfo Manabat / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras conversed with fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and counsel Atty. Lorna Kapunan at the President’s Hall Receiving Area of the Malacañan Palace to yield herself to President Benigno S. Aquino III Wednesday night (August 28, 2013). The surrender feeler was sent by Atty. Kapunan to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda hours after President Aquino announced a P10-million reward to anyone who can give information for the immediate arrest of the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam. (Photo by:Rodolfo Manabat / Malacañang Photo Bureau / PCOO).

http://www.gov.ph/2013/08/28/statement-the-presidential-spokesperson-on-the-surrender-of-janet-napoles/

Thanks to VERA Files and Mario Ignacio for photos.

“Janet, here na me…where na u?”

August 28, 2013August 28, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

My favorite placard in last Monday’s Million People march in Luneta was the one held by a young man which said, “Janet, here na me…where na u?”

The placard showed several aspects of the inspiring event which gathered some 400,000 to 500,000 bound by outrage over corruption in government.

The simple message, written on a cartolina was in a text lingo: “where na u? “edsa na me.” “w8 lang.” Many of us, schooled in the importance and propriety of staying and writing complete sentences and correct spelling are aghast by the text language but that’s how the cellphone generation speaks.

This gadget generation is also the social media generation. They are Facebook and Twitter denizens.

That’s why last Monday, Globe and Smart lines must have been overloaded, we were having a difficult time sending our reports from Rizal Park. We saw everybody taking pictures using their cellphones and posting them in Facebook and Twitter. Result was online overload.

But it was so much fun. It was democracy at its best.

From the Facebook page of Direk Joey Reyes which he said he borrowed from Eric Cabahug. Pahiram na rin, Eric.

Since there was no one group that dominated the gathering, it was free for all. It was just a matter of finding your corner or you space in the park. If you want what the militant groups – Bayan, Gabriela- offer, you can stop and listen to their explanation about pork barrel and other messages in the corner that they have set up shop.

There was a group of artists that entertained with ethnic dances and songs. A Catholic Mass was also being offered.

Looking at the happy crowd, my faith in the Filipino is re-affirmed.

Seeing the many young committed faces, I feel re-assured that this country will be in good hands after my generation has passed on the torch to them.

Little Buddha

Clearly, last Monday’s crowd was anti-corruption. It was not necessarily anti-PNoy. There was no “Oust PNoy” chant.
Disgraced Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona misread the sentiments of the people when he went there to join the rally. He was booed big time.

The message is anti-corruption. That should be made clear to everybody, past and present administration.

The enterpreneurs: