Janet Lim Napoles and the 10 Billion Pork Barrel Scam : The Plot is Thickening

Janet Lim Napoles’ display of wealth remains unmatched so far, what with her fleet of luxury cars, grand houses nestled in upscale neighborhoods, posh condominium units, properties abroad, and numerous businesses both local and overseas. How she amassed such wealth is now the object of public scrutiny, the aftermath of an expose made by her cousin Benhur Luy, about some of the NGOs and foundations that she established which allegedly received hefty amounts of financial aid siphoned from the pork barrel funds of some legislators. To add more insult to the injury, such NGOs and foundations are existing only by name – dummies to put it straightforwardly.

And where did all the money go? Your guess is as good as mine.

At the onset of his term, PNOY vowed to fight corruption with his “Daang Matuwid” mantra. The entire nation is curious as to how the Chief Executive will address this so called 10 billion pork barrel scam, for a deep and thorough investigation of it will definitely and inevitably open up a can of worms. This is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. What will he do if legislators close to the palace are involved? This we will have to see.

As of late, names of some legislators are already being dragged into the mess. Allegedly, Napoles' bogus NGOs and foundations were regular recipients of financial aid taken from the pork barrel of those legislators. This is so disappointing to hear. Even the Catholic Church has entered the picture unceremoniously, with reports that some priests are receiving a monthly stipend from Madam Napoles. And what is this that I heard that the image of the Black Nazarene is brought to her if she wants a mass to be held right in her house?

Is this how powerful this lady is? Not only was she able to penetrate the halls of the legislature (Senate and Congress). She did it too, to the hallowed walls of the Church. Is she using some priests as her human shield? Is this her attempt to camouflage her real intentions? Are her cohorts people from both the state and the church? The plot, indeed, is thickening.

Malacañang is unusually quiet about the whole thing. NBI and COA are the ones doing most of the talking, aside from all the dirty work. In previous high profile controversies, it is very interesting to note that many politicians scrambled for the best camera angle to grandstand by saying a thing or two. But with this current hullabaloo, it seems that they have become camera shy. Why the sealed lips? Less talk fewer revelations?

A deeper probe into the matter might unearth the proverbial skeletons in the closet of people from the legislature and other government agencies. Madam Napoles could not have done it alone, right? To view the matter as an archaeological excavation, our investigators might unearth an entire lost civilization, not just pots and other simple artifacts.

PNOY’s name is now being mentioned, unfairly mentioned if I may emphasize. I honestly believe that he had the best of intentions in allocating a significant portion of the national budget to the so called pork barrel of legislators. If the legislators are abusing and misusing their pork barrel, should we blame the president for it? PNOY, however, must take note of the telltale signs of corruption in the legislative arm of his government. Let us see what he will do with the national budget for 2014. On hindsight, people are already clamoring for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (pork barrel) of our legislators.

This scam I can say, is the mother of all scams. It has the grandest of all designs for it was able to tap our heavily guarded national coffers. The staggering amount of 10 billion pesos could have been used for the following projects:

• decent mass housing
• potable water supply in far flung provinces
• affordable education
• affordable hospital services
• upgrading of PAGASA weather monitoring apparatus
• upgrading of military equipment
• farm to market roads
• agricultural lands for poor farmers
• upgrading of technologies for disaster prevention and management
• decent pensions for senior citizens
• and other relevant project that will benefit the poor

So where did our taxes go? To whose pockets or bank accounts?

Indeed, the plot is thickening. Whatever the outcome of this investigation will either make or break PNOY's administration. Heads will surely roll, if the palace will not intervene. No sacred cows must be spared as the investigation progresses. 

Janet Lim Napoles and her brother Reynald are now fugitives. But the warrant of arrest that was issued to put them behind bars pertains not to the scam, but to their direct involvement in the illegal detention of their whistle-blower cousin Benhur Luy. What is keeping the government from filing appropriate charges against Madam Napoles in relation to her being tagged as the brains behind the scam?

As a final note, my clairvoyant ability tells me that she might emerge as the star witness in this grand scheme of government corruption.

The plot is really thickening.