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Yamsuan sold Rockwell condo to Napoles

September 28, 2013September 28, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

By VERA Files

Two whistleblowers in the pork barrel scam said Thursday that a former Malacañang consultant sold his Rockwell condo unit to Janet L. Napoles, allegedly the brains of the pork barrel scam that has dragged the names of a number of lawmakers and their staff.

Marina Sula and Benhur Luy said they saw Yamsuan twice in Napoles office in Discovery Suites. “Nagpunta kasi siya sa office sa Discovery, mayroon siyang in-offer na condo sa Rockwell na nakapangalan sa misis niya na binili ni Ms. Janet Napoles,” Sula told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigating the anomalous use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.

But the sale of the three-bedroom unit was not completed because of incomplete documentary requirements, the two said.

VERA Files earlier reported that Yamsuan, a consultant in the office of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa, was fired last Aug. 12 when President Aquino learned of his links with Napoles after his name was mentioned in the interview by Inquirer editors and columnists with the controversial pork barrel operator, the transcript of which was run by the newspaper verbatim.

Yamsuan’s wife, Cathy, is one of Inquirer’s Senate reporters.

VERA Files reported that Yamsuan, who was formerly undersecretary to Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno under the Arroyo administration, was heavily indebted due to gambling. Hounded by casino loan sharks, he sold his two units in Rockwell, an upscale condominium in Makati, and some vehicles.

Still short of money to fully pay his debts, Yamsuan sought the help of a senator who called Napoles, who in turn immediately delivered the money at the casino.

(VERA Files is put out by veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

Quarrel among thieves

September 26, 2013September 26, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

Sama-sama na tayo lahat. Thanks to Inquirer for photo.

The speech of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada may not be as explosive as expected but the public is benefitting from it because we are getting a bigger and more realistic picture of how rotten the system is, and how “tuwid na daan” is being drawn with crooked lines.

Estrada is one of three senators (the two others are Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Juan Ponce-Enrile) charged with plunder in connection with the anomalous use of their PDAF as allegedly operated by Janet Lim Napoles.

Estrada, in his 90 minute speech, never denied his involvement with Napoles’ scam. His complaint was, why only the three of us?

It is distressing because what we are seeing is a quarrel among thieves. But we console ourselves with the wise words of old folks that “When cattle rustlers quarrel, the farmer gets back his cow.”

Are we going to get back our cow? That all depends on the public’s vigilance.

We are most interested with the disclosure of Estrada that after the Senate overwhelmingly for the conviction of then Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona, a priority crusade of President Aquino to reform the justice system in fulfillment of his campaign promise to eliminate corruption in government, those who voted to convict were given P50 million each.

Estrada related instances when the Priority Development Assistance Program was used as “carrot” by Malacañang under Aquino, just like what Gloria Arroyo did, whenever they want something from members of Congress like the ouster of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (she was eventually persuaded to resign in exchange for not filing charges against her and for her to get her full retirement benefits); the Sin Tax bill, and the Reproductive Health bill.

Estrada said:” Here now, Mr. President, as our people must know, are some ugly facts and information on the PDAF that our people must know and which i challenge anyone to deny.”

His most important disclosure: “Hindi na tuloy tuloy nakapagtataka ng kumalat ang balita na ang mga kongresista at mga senador ay inalok din ng PDAF para siguraduhin ang impeachment at conviction ng dating Punong Hukom ng Korte Suprema.

“Hahayaan ko na ang taong bayan ang gumawa ng konklusyon kung ito ay totoo o hindi, pero ito ang aking maidadagdag sa kwento — after the conviction of the Former Chief Justice, those who voted to convict were allotted an additional 50 million pesos as provided in a private and confidential letter memorandum of the then chair of the senate finance committee. Saan galing ang pinamigay na pondo? I am sure alam ni Secretary Abad ang sagot sa tanong na ito. At sigurado din ako na hindi unilateral decision ni senate president drilon ang pamimigay ng 50 million pesos kada senador.”

Here are the names of the 20 senators who for the conviction of Corona: Edgardo Angara; Alan Peter Cayetano; Pia Cayetano; Franklin Drilon; Francis Escudero;

Jinggoy Estrada; Teofisto Guingona III; Gregorio Honasan; Panfilo Lacson; Lito Lapid;

Loren Legarda; Sergio Osmeña III; Francis Pangilinan; Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III; Ralph Recto;

Ramon Revilla Jr.;Vicente Sotto III; Antonio Trillanes IV; Manuel Villar; and Juan Ponce Enrile Jr.

The three who voted for the acquittal of Corona were Joker Arroyo;Miriam Defensor-Santiago; and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

P50 million times 20 is P1 billion. We believe that’s our money. We also would like to know how it ended up in the hands of senators and how it was spent.

Reactions of senators and Malacañang to the P50 million revelation of Estrada:

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad:Illogical.Absolutely, completely not true. As far as I’m concerned, we did not bribe the lawmakers.

Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson: I confirm the P50-million “incentive” that was allegedly given to senators who voted to convict then Chief Justice Renato Corona. Drilon told us about it in a caucus.

Senate President Franklin Drilon: The P50 million given after the Corona trial was not a bribe. It was PDAF withheld during the four-month trial.

Sen. TG Guingona: I got additional P50 million but it was not connected to Corona conviction.

Sen.Pia Cayetano: I don’t know anything about it.

Sen. Alan Cayetano: I didn’t get paid for voting to convict Corona.

Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang: I do not know exactly what senator Lacson was referring to…there are many things coming out now. Some of them may be true. Some of them may not be true.

The 14- year cycle as observed by Jun Lozada

September 22, 2013September 22, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

17 years ago. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Last Saturday, I saw a front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the Facebook wall of Pablo Tariman.

The headline was “Congress kickbacks:how much for whom”. There was an illuThe story was about pork barrel and there was an illustration using a lechon and how the roasted swine was being divided.

The upper fold story was “MNLF occupies four more towns in Zambo.” Another story was “Higher gas price begins tomorrow.”

I thought that was last Saturday’s issue until I noticed the initials CIA (Congressional Initiative Allocation) and CDF (Countrywide Development Fund). Those were the old name of PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) .

A closer look at the page showed the date: Aug. 13, 1996.

Yes, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

I remembered something that NBN/ZTE star witness Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada shared with the Concerned Citizens Movement sometime ago.

It was a graph showing a 14-year cycle of Philippine History titled, “Rupture of the 14 years cycle of Philippine History.”

Jun said during the time that he was under the shelter of the De La Salle Brothers during the Arroyo administration (The danger to his life has not waned with Arroyo out of power.Jun has sought refuge again with the Religious.) with a lot of time for reflection, he put down in writing his observations of a pattern in Philippine history. An electronics and communications engineer, Jun is scientific in his approach.

Jun Lozada still marching. Aug. 26 rally.

He observed a “rupture every 14 years:”

1888 – A few months earlier, Jose Rizal returns from Europe bringing home the Noli me Tangere; beginning the awakening of Filipino patriotism.

1902 – Full American occupation of the Philippines., regime change from Filipino revolutionary government to American colonial rule.

1916 – Jones Law (Phil. Autonomy Act), regime change from Philippine. Commission to the two houses of the Senate and the Congress.

1930 – Hare Hawes Cutting Law, promise of Philippine independence from American colonial rule leading to the Tydings-McDuffie Law.

1944 – Return of Gen. Douglas McArthur, regime change from Japanese to American.

1958 – Death of President RamonMagsaysay in 1957, regime change to Carlos P.Garcia

1972 – Martial Law, regime change from democratic to authoritarian.

1986 – EDSA Revolution, regime change Ferdinand Marcos to Cory Aquino.

2000 – Joseph Estrada impeachment, regime change Estrada to Gloria Arroyo.

2014 –Will the 14-year rupture occur again or will it be broken after more than a century of continuous rupture?

Jun said,” This is not being presented as scholarly work on Philippine history but rather an observation of a curious engineer.”

Sobrang amazing ang kuwento ni Kap

September 22, 2013September 22, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

Sponsors do not want to be seen supporting someone acccused of plunder

Malakas ang ugong na baka mawala sa ere ang Kap’s Amazing stories, ang show ni Sen. Bong Revilla sa GMA7. Nagkakakansela na raw ang advertisers ng show at hindi maganda para sa kanila na ma-identify sa isang opisyal ng pamahalaan na akusado sa krimeng pandarambong.

Ang buhay talaga. When it rains, it pours. Kapag umulan, talagang buhos.

Noong isang linggo, kasama sa sinampahan si Revilla ng plunder o pandarambong. Ayun sa dokumento na hawak ng National Bureau of Investigation, si Revilla ang may pinakamalaking nabulsa mula sa pera ng PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) sa pamamagitan ng operasyun na kasabwat si Janet Lim Napoles.

Ayun sa dokumento ng NBI, P224,512,500 ang pera na naman sa mhihirap na Pilipino ang napunta kay Revilla. (Ang kay Sen. Jinggoy Estrada ay P183,793,750 at kay Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile ay P172,834,500.)

Close friends

Maiyak-iyak si Revilla noong Lunes at sinabi niyang “Ang hiling ko sa sambayanan, huwag kaming husgahan. Ipapaliwanag namin ito hanggang sa kahuli-hulihang detalye.”

Nakadetalye ang kuwento ni Ben Hur Luy, ang dating kanang kamay ni Napoles, tungkol sa mga perang binibigay nila kay Revilla at sa ibang mambabatas at kanilang mga tauhan na sangkot dito sa pork barrel scam.

Ang baho ng pangalan ng lahat na sangkot sa pork barrel scam kaya maintindihan kung magkaka-kansela ang mga advertisers ng Kap’s Amazing stories.

Sabi naman ni Revilla kumuha na daw siya ng handwriting expert para daw suriin ang mga dokumento sa PDAF na may pirma niya.

Sayang itong si Revilla na hindi pinahalagahan ang tiwala na binigay sa kanya ng mamamayan. Kahit wala naman talagang pinakitang galing sa kanyang panunungkulan sa Senado, binu-boto pa rin siya ng tao. Sa halip na alagaan ang pagtitiwala ng taumbayan, ginawang gatasan ang pamahalaan. Ninakawan pa ang mamamayan.

Really close friends

May ambisyon pa siyang tumakbo bilang maging bise president kung hindi man presidente sa 2016. Sa pagbulgar ng kanilang pangungurakot ng pork barrel, pwede na magpa-alam si Revilla sa kanyang ambisyun na titira sa Malacanang o kahit na mago-opisina sa Coconut Palace.

Ang problema niya ngayon, ay kapag nagdesisyun ang Ombudsman na may basehan ang akusasyun at magsasampa na ng kaso sa Sandiganbayan, mai-isyu ng warrant of arrest. Walang piyansa ang plunder kaya kulong siya.

Itong linggo daw, magpapasabog din daw si Revilla at Estrada. Excited na ako makinig. Baka sobrang amazing yun.
***
Ang tanong ng isa: paano ang bahay ng isang beauty queen sa Beverly Hills na mistress daw ng isang akusado na ang bumili daw ay si Napoles. Naku, baka binenta na yan. Ang bahay sa Beverly Hills hindi bababa sa $1.5 milyon o mga P65 milyon.

The lawmaker’s offer

September 19, 2013September 19, 2013 Ellen Leave a comment

Documentary evidence

One of the lawmakers implicated in the pork barrel scam operated by Janet Lim Napoles sent feelers to Malacañang about three weeks ago.

The offer: “I will return the money I got from my PDAF fund plus interest. I will make a public apology. I will resign and will not run for elective office again.”

The requested reward: “Please don’t file plunder charges against me.”

Reason for the offer: “One, I want to spare my grandchildren the stigma of having a grandparent convicted of plunder. Two, I am currently ‘down.’ This is not the best time of my life.”

My source declined to identify the lawmaker and the branch of legislature. I can only guess the identity based on the demands: he or she is old enough to have grandchildren and is eligible for election in 2016.

Last Monday, a total of 37 persons were charged in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund. Three senators were charged with plunder: Ramon “Bong” Revilla; Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile.

Also charged with plunder were former Masbate Rep. now Gov. Rizalina Lanete and former APEC party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez.

According to the charge sheet, the five lawmakers “committed plunder in conspiracy with Napoles and officials of the implementing agencies when said lawmakers each accumulated more than P50 million through a series of transactions over time through misappropriation, conversion, misuse, and malversation of the cash value of the project cost allocated from the lawmakers’ PDAF and through their acceptance of kickbacks and commissions.”

Revilla and Estrada continue to profess their innocence. Estrada’s lame argument is that his endorsing a nongovernment organization, even if it turned out to be fake, as a recipient of his pork barrel did not constitute a crime.

He should be told that the endorsement may not be a crime but being a recipient of millions of money from PDAF is stealing money from the people. That’s plunder.

Enrile is in the hospital. At 89, he may escape imprisonment for humanitarian reasons even if convicted.

Legal experts say it would not be a short and easy case. But all those charged can kiss their political ambitions goodbye.

Three former members of the House of Representatives were also charged with malversation of public funds, direct bribery and violation of the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for accumulating kickbacks and other benefits less than P50 million, said De Lima. They are former Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa and former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula.

Plaza, who has been reported to have left the country, about two weeks ago, is the same lawmaker who lamented “What kind of Congress is this” during the 2009 debate in Congress whether to play the “Hello Garci” tapes.

With the mindboggling reports of how he and fellow lawmakers diverted millions and millions of money intended for the marginalized to their pockets, Plaza can say it again: “What kind of Congress is this?”