Janet Lim-Napoles and the Pork

Barrel Scam

The Arroyo Plunder Case

07:23 AM April 02, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Janet Lim-Napoles was accused of masterminding the pork barrel scam for at least
10 years, using a network of bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs).

In July 2013, the Inquirer broke the story on the scam to funnel P10 billion in Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers to ghost projects in exchange for massive kickbacks.

The racket came to light when Napoles’ cousin, Benhur Luy, blew the lid on the scam after he was detained,
allegedly by the businesswoman. Luy said Napoles had gotten wind of his plan to break away from her group.

In June 2014, the Office of the Ombudsman indicted then Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and
Bong Revilla for plunder and multiple counts of graft in connection with the pork barrel scam.

Revilla was accused of receiving P224.5 million in kickbacks; Estrada, P183.8 million; and Enrile, P172.8
million. Napoles was named a coaccused.

In April 2015, Napoles and her brother, Reynald “Jojo” Lim, were convicted in the illegal detention case filed
by Luy, but in May 2017, the Court of Appeals, with backing from Solicitor General Jose Calida, overturned
the conviction.

On Dec. 7, 2018, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla of plunder but convicted his legislative officer,
Richard Cambe, and Napoles, saying the two had pocketed P124.5 million from his pork barrel funds.

The decision was the first ever handed down by the antigraft court in connection with the P10-billion pork
barrel scam.

In a 3-2 vote, the Special First Division on Dec. 7, 2018, ruled against prosecutors who accused Revilla of
getting P224.5 million in kickbacks but said prosecutors were able to establish that Cambe received P124.5
million from Napoles, citing records from the financial ledgers kept by star witness Luy.

The court sentenced Napoles and Cambe to “reclusion perpetua,” or imprisonment of up to 40 years, and
perpetually disqualified them from holding public office. It ordered Napoles held at the Correctional
Institution for Women and Cambe at New Bilibid Prison.

On Dec. 19, 2018, the court denied Napoles’ plea to be allowed to remain at the Bureau of Jail Management
and Penology facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

On Dec. 28, 2018, Napoles filed a motion for reconsideration in the Sandiganbayan. Unlike Napoles, Cambe
opted not to seek the Sandiganbayan’s reconsideration anymore and would instead challenge the verdict
directly in the Supreme Court. —Inquirer Research
Former President Gloria Arroyo has been ordered released from detention by the Supreme Court (SC) after the
high court granted her plea for demurrer to evidence on a plunder case she is facing for the questionable release
of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds in her last two years as
chief executive.

Here's a look at the Arroyo plunder case, and how long it has taken before the high court's ruling came out.

On July 16, 2012, the Ombudsman filed a P366 million plunder case against former president Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the alleged misuse of funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
(PCSO).

Also charged were former PCSO chair Sergio Valencia, former general Rosario Uriarte, former board members
Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc, Raymundo Roquero, Maria Fatima Valdes, former budger and accounts manager
Benigno Aguas, Commission on Audit (COA) chair Reynaldo Villar and Intelligence and Confidential Fund
Audit Unit Head Nilda Plaras.

The Ombudsman charged them for diverting the PCSO's budget to an intelligence fund that could be accessed
only by a select few.

Those charged then supposedly used the funds in the guise of fictitious expenditures, justified by irregularly
issued disbursement vouchers.

Valencia, Morato, and Roquero were granted bail in June 2013.

On October 4, 2012, the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant for Arroyo's arrest.

Thirteen days later, on October 17, the anti-graft court granted the former president's request for continued
hospital arrest.

On October 24, Arroyo asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order in her favor, and dismiss
the plunder charges against her.

August 27, 2014 - Her lawyers filed a demurer to evidence before the anti-graft court's first division, where she
essentially said, teh evidence presented against her is insufficient to prove her guilty beyong reasonable doubt.

This was denied by Sandiganbayan on April 6, 2015, paving the way for her trial for plunder.

However, on October 15, 2015, Arroyo's lawyer Estelito Mendoza asked the high court to dismiss her plunder
case and suspend the proceedings before the Sandiganbayan.

This was granted five days later, October 20, with the high court suspending trial until February 2016.

The suspension was further extended for 60 days in March 11, and another 60 days in May 3, with the
suspension finally lapsing in June 20.

Through this time, Arroyo has been spending her days inside the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

In a statement, Arroyo thanked her supporters for their prayers for her freedom. She also thanked President
Duterte, who she said, allowed due process to take its course totally unhampered, and to the Supreme Court
justices, for finally ending her persecution.

She is expected to be free by Wednesday, July 20.

- Top Story, ANC, July 19, 2016

Imelda Marcos Convicted of Graft,
Sentenced to Prison
Marcos, 89, was sentenced for funneling $200 million to
Swiss foundations.
Nov. 9, 2018, 8:00 PM GMT+8
By Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine court found former first lady Imelda Marcos guilty of
graft and ordered her arrest Friday in a rare conviction among many corruption cases that
she plans to appeal to avoid jail and losing her seat in Congress.

The special anti-graft Sandiganbayan court sentenced Marcos, 89, to serve 6 to 11 years in
prison for each of the seven counts of violating an anti-corruption law when she illegally
funneled about $200 million to Swiss foundations in the 1970s as Metropolitan Manila
governor.

Neither Marcos nor anyone representing her attended Friday's court hearing.

Marcos said in a statement that the decision was being studied by one of her lawyers who
notified the Marcos family that he intends to appeal the decision. Anti-Marcos activists
and human rights victims welcomed the conviction as long overdue.

The court disqualified Marcos from holding public office, but she can remain a member of
the powerful House of Representatives while appealing the decision. Her congressional
term will end next year but she has registered to run to replace her daughter as governor of
northern Ilocos Norte province.

"I was jumping up and down in joy in disbelief," said former Commission on Human
Rights chairwoman Loretta Ann Rosales, who was among many activists locked up after
Imelda's husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos, declared martial law in the
Philippines in 1972.

Rosales said the decision was a huge setback to efforts by the Marcos family to revise
history by denying many of the atrocities under the dictatorship, and urged Filipinos to
fight all threats against democracy and civil liberties.

Former Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who was also jailed during the Marcos dictatorship,
said it was up to voters in next year's May 13 local elections, where Marcos is a candidate,
if they want "somebody who has a bad name representing them, that's your call."
 HOW SOCIAL SCIENCES CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THIS SOCIAL
CONCERN?

Looking at the Social Science view, Graft and Corruption is related to Political Science and Economic.
Graft and corruption is chronic not only in our country but in the whole world. To be able to address this social
issue, the Legislative Department made a law entitled the “Republic Act No. 7080”. This is an act defining and
penalizing the crime of plunder. This Article has 9 sections and was approved on July 12, 1991.

Personally, I believe that corruption is one of the reasons why the Philippines are still in the state of poor
governance. Imagine how much those politicians are stealing while the country has debt on World Bank, while
the country is suffering of poverty. It was hard to address this problem because it became a practice to politics
already however, as the famous quote say, “kapag gusto, maraming paraan; kapag ayaw, maraming dahilan”.
I’ve done a research and here are the following suggestions from the citizens/journalist/bloggers that has the
possibility that can help stop or better yet lessen corruption.