Maniolas

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada will be automatically suspended if the Office of the Ombudsman formally charges them with plunder, Senate President Franklin Drilon said Tuesday. In a radio interview, Drilon said the three senators being implicated in the alleged pork barrel scam will be temporarily barred from performing their work as legislators in case the Ombudsman files a motion to suspend them before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the plunder case. “Ang suspension po ng public official na nasampahan ng kaso ay automatic po. Ang kailangan lang ay isang motion galing sa Ombudsman… Walang pong discretion ang Sandiganbayan kundi suspendihin ang official,” the Senate leader told radio dzRH. Drilon particulary cited the Supreme Court ruling on a petition filed in 1989 by then-Zambales Governor Amor Deloso, which calls for the “automatic application” of the suspension of a public official facing criminal charges.  Last April 1, the Ombudsman recommended plunder charges against Estrada, Revilla and Enrile for allegedly pocketing millions in their pork barrel funds through a scam supposedly engineered by busineswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. All three senators have denied involvement in the alleged anomaly. Earlier, Senator Francis Escudero said that any move to expel or suspend one of his colleagues should be coursed through the Senate ethics panel.  “To begin with, before any expulsion or suspension can be initiated, dapat maporma muna yung ethics committee na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa napoporma. Hiniling na namin noon yan na dapat na maporma para Read More …

Despite her supposed willingness to divulge everything she knows, Janet Lim-Napoles will still be treated as an accused in the alleged pork barrel scam case, at least for now. “She is considered an accused for now [and the President wants Justice Sec. Leila De Lima to] continue to evaluate the testimony and statements of Ms. Janet Napoles,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference on Tuesday. Lacierda said that De Lima informed President Benigno Aquino III earlier in the day that Napoles has agreed to bare all the details of the alleged scam, including names of all those involved. But Lacierda said the President instructed De Lima to “listen to the testimony and evaluate.” “We will follow the same position taken by Secretary Leila de Lima… we will be following closely the evaluation and validation of Secretary Leila de Lima and her team,” he said. “There is no presumed conclusion as to can she be a state witness. That has to go through the process of evaluation. And remember, the final arbiter to that would be the Sandiganbayan,” he added. Earlier, however, Aquino had already hinted he does not believe Napoles was “not most guilty.”  “Tila ang common link doon sa lahat na supposed to be involved, at least as far as one segment of the scam is involved, ay si Ms. Napoles. So siya ba ang pasimuno?” Aquino said.  “Hindi ganoon kaklaro… Pero nasa sentro siya ng mga involvement ng ‘di umano’y maraming mga tao. So paano mo masasabing Read More …

Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras on Tuesday denied that he went to Hong Kong with Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who organized the trip to apologize for the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. “No I am here in Manila and just had meetings,” Almendras told GMA News Online in a text message, denying several reports that said he went to Hong Kong with Estrada and Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima. Almendras, however, did not respond after he was asked whether he will follow Estrada or meet the families of the hostage victims. A Palace source, however, said without elaborating that Almendras will fly to Hong Kong for a separate meeting. Hong Kong has been demanding an apology from President Benigno Aquino III for the botched rescue attempt of Hong Kong hostages in a bus in the Luneta. Aquino has steadfastly declined to apologize, saying that would create a legal liability and citing Filipino fatalities in China for which China has not apologized and paid compensation. Eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed during the hostage crisis perpetrated by a dismissed policeman. Last November, Almendras went to Hong Kong to turn over a donation for the jaw operation of a hostage survivor. — KBK, GMA News