Defensive admin solons question inclusion in Napoles, Luy lists
One lawmaker admits Napoles’ transaction
By Marc Jayson Cayabyab, INQUIRER.net Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers included in the alleged list of pork barrel scam beneficiaries gathered up their defenses Tuesday to show they did not benefit from the billion-pesos racket of pillaging funds meant to ease poverty in the country.
These solons, who are members of the bloc allied to the President, took it to a news briefing on Tuesday to prove they never transacted with Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the scam. These are Batangas Rep. Sonny Collantes and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao.
While the two denied transactions, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali* admitted he once coursed his Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to a Napoles NGO.
But he claimed he didn’t know it was bogus.
Apparently, Umali coursed P1.5 million in agriculture funds to the Napoles NGO Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc.
But the solon, who was included in Napoles’ list of beneficiares, said his pork funds were not diverted to ghost projects, and instead reached the farmer beneficiaries.
“I do not deny that there is a P1.5 million project not my PDAF but an organic agriculture fund of the Department of Agriculture that was conduited to a Napoles NGO … kasi hindi ko naman alam na Napoles NGO ‘yun,” Umali said.
Umali also defended his brother Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso “Boy” Umali, who was included in Napoles’ list of scam beneficiaries as a former representative in the province from the 12th to 14th Congress.
“I also would like to take this opportunity to defend my brother… Wala siyang dealings at all with any of the Napoles NGO,” Umali said, adding that their inclusion may be because they are allied with the president.
“They wanted to bring down the ratings of the President through his friends,” Umali said. Read more: INQUIRER
(*Rep. Reynald Umali had planned to impeach several Supreme Court justices for their recent rulings that took away Congress’ pork barrel by declaring it unconstitutional, and disqualified a Marinduque representative as a candidate in the 2013 election, a move that Speaker Feliciano Belmonte declared he did not support.)
