Napoles bail hearing: Local execs deny receiving projects funded by Enrile’s pork

Local officials of municipalities listed as beneficiaries of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on Friday denied receiving any funding for the supposed agricultural projects for the farmers in their municipalities.

 

At the continuation of the hearing at the Sandiganbayan Third Division,  the prosecution panel presented two incumbent municipal mayors, a former mayor and three municipal agriculturists who unanimously testified that their municipalities never received any agricultural packages, livelihood kits, livelihood trainings or any form of assistance from the office of Enrile or from the Technology Resource Center (TRC), National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) and National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC), who were named as the implementing agencies for Enrile's PDAF-funded projects.

 

The Third Division is currently hearing the petition for bail of Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.

 

The witnesses presented by the prosecution at Friday's hearing were incumbent Umingan, Pangasinan mayor Eldred Tumbokan, Umingan municipal agriculturist Francisco Collado, Sta. Maria, Bulacan mayor Bartolome Ramos, Sta. Maria agriculturist Imelda Eugenio, former Rosales, Pangasinan mayor Ricardo Revita and San Miguel, Bulacan municipal agriculturist Rodolfo Mendoza.

 

The witnesses likewise testified that they were not aware that their municipalities were chosen or were made to appear as recipients of more or less P5 million each for Enrile's PDAF-funded agricultural projects.

 

The witnesses in their respective affidavits presented before the court also said that they never received any farm implements, livelihood kits, livelihood trainings or any form of agricultural assistance from the non-government organizations (NGOs) where the pork funds of Enrile were coursed through.

 

The witnesses also said that they never signed or prepared any acknowledgement receipts or any documents pertaining to their alleged transactions with the implementing agencies and NGOs.

 

The NGOs named as beneficiaries of Enriles' PDAF were the Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation  (CARED), Masaganang Ani Para Magsasaka Foundation Inc. (MAMFI), Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc. (SDPFFI), People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc.(POPDFI), Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation Inc. (AEPFFI), and  Agriculture Para sa Magbubukid Foundation Inc. (APMFI).

 

Whistleblowers in the pork barrel fund scam led by Benhur Luy in previous hearings have insisted that it was Napoles who has a direct control over the said NGOs. So far, however, none of the documents presented by the prosecution in the three divisions of Sandiganbayan hearing the pork barrel cases would show the name or signature of Napoles as official or incorporator of the NGOs involved in the cases.

 

At Friday's hearing, Napoles' lawyer Stephen David told the court that the defense no longer intends to cross-examine the local officials presented by the prosecution as their testimonies bears no weight in terms of proving the guilt of his client.

 

"We have already heard during the previous hearings that the name of Napoles did not appear in any of the NGOs involved in the deliveries (of agricultural products). Assuming that there was indeed no deliveries, my client is not the one that should be held liable but the NGOs and the implementing agencies," David said.

 

David added that the prosecution is just prolonging the proceedings by presenting witnesses and evidence which are "irrelevant" to the hearing of Napoles' petition for bail for her plunder case in connection with the pork scam.

 

"Petition for bail hearing should be a summary proceedings. May we request the prosecution to present the best evidence and witnesses that would prove the guilt of my client and not only the evidence and witnesses that will prolong the agony of the accused," David said.

 

Plunder is a non-bailable offense if the prosecution would be able to prove that the evidence against Napoles is strong.

 

The prosecution panel informed the court that in next week's hearing, January 30, they will be presenting some of the people who were listed as farmer-beneficiaries of Enrile's PDAF-funded projects, to testify that they never received any assistance from the senator, nor the implementing agencies and the NGOs. —NB, GMA News