MANILA, Philippines - How did eight legislators led by senators Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile allegedly amass P835 million in kickbacks through their dealings with businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles?
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which recommended the filing of plunder, malversation, direct bribery, and graft and corrupt practices against the lawmakers, accused the legislators of engaging in eight-step "modus operandi."
1) Napoles and lawmaker agree that the businesswoman's non-government organization (NGO) will be the recipient of the legislator's Priority Development Assistance Fund for purposes of supposedly implementing projects authorized by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
In exchange for selecting Napoles' NGO, the lawmaker will receive from the businesswoman 40 to 60 percent of the cash value of the project as kickback.
2) Lawmaker submits a list of projects to the DBM.
3) DBM in turn issues a Special Allotment Releases Order (SARO) to the lawmaker, who then endorses a selected Napoles NGO to the implementing agency.
4) Without any public bidding, the implementing agency enters into a memorandum agreement with the Napoles NGO for the implementation of the project.
5) After documentation is completed, the DBM issues a Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) to the implementing agency.
6) Upon receipt of the NCA, the implementing agency issues a check to Napoles' NGO, which is deposited by JLN Corp. employees to the bank before it is withdrawn in cash and delivered to Napoles.
7) Along the way, the kickback of the lawmaker is already paid by Napoles in advance - first, upon submission of the project list to DBM, second, upon release of the SARO.
The chief-of-staff of the lawmaker or his representative, who facilitates documents and follow ups with agencies for Napoles and the legislator, also gets 1 to 5 percent of the project cost, also as kickback.
8) Napoles pockets the rest of the pork barrel funds after deducting the cost of overpriced supplies such as as agricultural lits and training materials procured from a supplier enterprise, which is owned by the businesswoman. The full remaining amount is pocketed by Napoles if there is no delivery of supplies.
78% of 'plundered' PDAF amassed by senators
Of the P745.63 million worth of PDAF allegedly amassed by five lawmakers in their transaction with co-conspirator Napoles, 78 percent or P581.14 million was accumulated by Revilla (P224.512 million), Estrada (183.793 million), and Enrile (172.834 milllion), according to the NBI.
The rest, 22 percent or P164.49 million, was allegedly amassed by former representative and incumbent Masbate governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete (P108.405 million) and former APEC partylist Rep. Edgard Valdez (P56.087 million).
Three other former lawmakers were accused by the NBI of committing malversation, direct bribery, and other graft and corrupt practices for allegedly amassing a total of P89.752 million from their PDAF.
They are former representatives Rodolofo Plaza of Agusan del Sur (P42.137 million), Samuel Dangwa of Benguet (P26.770 million), and Constantino Jaraula of Cagayan de Oro (20.843 million).
The NBI said the amount allegedly amassed by the three former representatives "are the lawmakers' bribe for giving undue favor to a Napoles NGO, or represent his illegally contracted share from a malversation scheme designed to misuse and misappropriate public funds entrusted to him, and which he appropriates instead for private gain rather (than for) public benefit intended by law."
source: interaksyon.com
