President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomes Hon. Jesus Gracia, Secretary of State Latin America Affairs and International Development Cooperation and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez along with the Organizers and Officers of the Madrid Fusion 2016. Event organizers paid a courtesy call on President Aquino Wednesday in Malacañan Palace. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Thursday belied Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s claim that the Aquino administration is behind the plunder charges against him over his alleged involvement on the multi-billion pork barrel scam.
In a statement, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Marcos should just respond to the complaint in the proper forum.
“Contrary to the claims of Senator Marcos, Government has no involvement in the reported case for plunder filed against him by an anti-corruption group,” Coloma said.
“If the good senator strongly believes that he has nothing to do with the charges leveled against him, it is best that he respond in the proper forum,” he added.
Marcos, who is running for vice president, said the Aquino administration had a hand in the plunder complaint filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman by an anti-corruption group calling itself as iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamayan (iBBM).
Marcos said he was no longer surprised with the filing of the complaint as “the present administration has a long-standing tradition of selective justice.”
“Yun na nga ang problema sa atin. Everything is all about politics. Yung justice natin nagiging pulitika na rin. Iyan naman ang ginagawa, kapag hindi ka kaalyado ay kinakasuhan. Pag kaalyado kahit sangkot [sa katiwalian] ay walang ginagawa. Kaya siguro naging biktima na tayo diyan,” he said.
Also named respondents in the complaint were Marcos’ former consultant, Catherine Mae “Maya” Santos, and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
The complaint stemmed from Marcos’ alleged allocation of P205-million worth of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel to six of the alleged fake non-government organizations allegedly owned by Napoles.(MNS)