Napoles gave funds to LP for 2013 polls, jueteng whistleblower claims

 News
Oct 142013
 

Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles contributed funds to the campaign kitty of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) for the 2013 midterm polls, jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam revealed Tuesday.

Cam, who claims to have common friends with Napoles, said the controversial businesswoman gave some P100 million to support the LP senatorial campaign during the last elections.

“Talaga namang nagbigay itong si Napoles ng campaign funds noong eleksyon lang nitong senatoriables,” the whistleblower said in an interview with GMA News’ Arnold Clavio on “Unang Hirit.”

During a Senate investigation in 2005, Cam testified that she collected payoffs from jueteng lords and delivered them to relatives of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Cam is currently president of the Whistleblowers’ Association of the Philippines.

But Former Rep. Raul Daza, who serves as LP’s counsel, categorically denied Cam’s claim that the ruling party, which is currently being chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, received funds from Napoles.

“Tinatatanggihan po namin na tumanggap ng anumang pera galing kay Gng. Napoles ang LP noong nakaraang kampanya. Andiyan po sa Comelec ang listahan ng contributors ng LP. Wala po riyan ang pangalan ni Gng. Napoles,” Daza said in the same television interview.

Napoles, who is now detained in Laguna for a serious illegal detention case, is currently facing three plunder complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly engineering a scam to funnel pork barrel and Malampaya gas project funds to bogus non-government organizations.

Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada are also facing separate plunder raps for allegedly pocketing funds from Napoles’s scam. 

‘Drilon knows Napoles well’

In the same interview, Cam likewise belied statements earlier made by Senate President Franklin Drilon that he only occasionally met Napoles in social gatherings.

“Maraming kaming common friends at kaibigan na nagsasabing hindi lang kilala, kundi kilalang-kilala, nitong mag-asawang Drilon si Napoles,” Cam said. 

“Sinasabi rin ng witnesses ngayon na regular guests ang mag-asawang Drilon sa parties at death anniversary ng mother niya sa musoleo. Kung ikaw ay hindi kilalang-kilala pupunta ka ba sa isang death anniversary sa sementeryo?” she added.

Asked what proof she has linking Drilon to Napoles, Cam replied, “Hindi na kailangan ng documentary evidence.”

Drilon earlier said he met Napoles in four to five times in social gatherings before, but denied dealing with her involving public funds.

Daza also countered Cam’s claim that Drilon has been refusing to summon Napoles to the Senate probe on the pork barrel scam because the Senate President has “something to hide.”

“Hindi ito sariling pasya niya [Drilon]. Ito ay alinsunod lamang sa isang opinyon na binigay ni Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales,” Daza said.

Drilon refused to sign a subpoena for Napoles requested by Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation the alleged pork barrel scam. The Senate is scheduled to settle the issue in a caucus on Wednesday.

Candaba mayor linked to Napoles

Cam also showed a photo of Drilon with Mayor Rene Maglanque of Candaba in Pampanga, whom Napoles supposedly introduced to the Senate leader.

The whistleblower accused Maglanque of being a jueteng bagman.

Daza, however, said Maglanque was an independent candidate during the last polls and has never been associated with the LP.

“Maliwanag at binibigyan naming diin na hindi po Liberal itong si Mayor Maglanque,” Daza said. — with Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News

The ‘air war’ for votes in May 2013: Without SC TRO, 9 Senate bets, Buhay liable for breaching TV ads airtime cap

 News
Jun 132013
 
The ‘air war’ for votes in May 2013: Without SC TRO, 9 Senate bets, Buhay liable for breaching TV ads airtime cap

NINE SENATORIAL candidates and one party-list group in the recently concluded elections would have breached the airtime limit for political ads on TV had it not been for a crucial order from the Supreme Court regarding a new rule being imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). One of those nine candidates would have also surpassed the campaign-spending limit. Seven of the nine actually won in the May 13, 2013 midterm elections. Meanwhile, Buhay, the party-list group that eventually garnered the most number of votes among party-list groups, is poised to occupy three seats in the House of Representatives.  But that is now murky water under the bridge. Last April 16, less than a month before the elections, the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the “aggregate time limit” rule imposed by Comelec. The TRO effectively reverted the counting of advertising minutes to the “per station” basis, just as it was in the May 2010 presidential polls.  More than the issue of counting airtime limits, however, the Supreme Court TRO made for a seemingly contradictory situation with the law on campaign expenditure limits. As well, the TRO has made the Comelec’s task of enforcing campaigning and campaign finance rules — and consequently holding violators to account – less straightforward and all the more difficult to manage. As a result, campaign spending in the 2013 polls may turn out not to be any different from the campaign-ad spending spree of 2010.  In the 2010 polls, the total indicative Read More …

Aquino allies among 'most tardy' in Senate

 News
Jun 112013
 
Aquino allies among 'most tardy' in Senate

Senators allied with President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party (LP) were the “most tardy” during the 15th Congress. A report on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali” on Tuesday said based on the Senate Journal Service, the following senators had the most number of session where they failed to arrive in time for the roll call: Serge Osmena III Francis Pangilinan Ralph Recto Manny Villar Alan Peter Cayetano Pangilinan and Recto are LP members while Osmeña, an independent, is a known Aquino ally. Villar and Cayetano are members of the Nacionalista Party, which allied itself with the LP for the 2013 midterm elections. Meanwhile, Senate President Pro-Tempore and now acting Senate President Jinggoy Estrada and former majority leader Vicente Sotto were not only the most punctual senators, they also had a perfect attendance during the 15th Congress, or from July 26, 2010 to June 8, 2013. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, meanwhile, had incurred the most number of absences due to her bone marrow condition. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News

Liberal Party leads House seats in 16th Congress

 News
Jun 052013
 
Liberal Party leads House seats in 16th Congress

The administration-led Liberal Party will retain its hold on the House of Representatives in the coming 16th Congress after its candidates won the most number of seats in the lower chamber in the May 13 mid-term polls, according to data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The party, which is chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, counted 108 winning candidates in various districts across the country. Among them are House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., who led the party’s sweep in all six congressional seats for Quezon City, including those at the newly created fifth and sixth districts. The opposition has said it intends to put forward their own bet, LAKAS president and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez – who is also the nephew of former first lady and Ilocos Rep. Imelda Marcos – against Belmonte in the next Congress. “We’re officially declaring that we’re going to challenge the leadership of the House,” Minority Floor Leader Danilo Suarez told the media last May 23. But Belmonte is confident that he will retain his post on the strength of the LP’s alliance with other parties. “We expect that we’ll form the same coalition that we did last time—principally with the NPC, NUP, and the NP (Nacionalista),” he said. Comelec results show that the remaining 126 congressional districts went to candidates from the following groups: * Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC), 43 seats* National Unity Party (NUP), 24 seats* Nacionalista Party (NP), 20 seats* Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS-CMD), 14 seats* United Nationalist Alliance Read More …

To put more allies in Senate, PNoy ramping up support for admin bets

 News
May 052013
 
To put more allies in Senate, PNoy ramping up support for admin bets

The administration slate bears his name, so President Benigno Aquino III is pulling out all the stops to make sure that most, if not all, of his senatorial bets will emerge victorious in the 2013 polls. Last week, the President accompanied the administration senatorial ticket, which was called “Team Pnoy,” almost every day during sorties in provinces where he dominated the voting during the 2010 national polls. The Liberal Party (LP)-led senatorial slate went with Aquino last week to vote-rich Pangasinan, Camarines Sur and Quezon province, as well as the President’s home province, Tarlac. Data culled by GMA News Online also showed that the President was present in 11 of the 12 provincial sorties the administration ticket mounted in the past month. Aquino also graced the LP-led coalition’s kickoff for the local race in vote-rich Manila last April 1. At a press briefing last week, the President said that he wants to “increase efforts” for the 12 candidates he is endorsing for Senate seats in the upcoming polls. “I think I am leading also by example. We believe we are espousing a certain ideology,” Aquino said at a press conference last Tuesday. The President likewise assured the public that while he is campaigning for his slate, he makes sure that he does his duties as the country’s top elected official. He said he checks ongoing projects, conducts dialogues with local officials, and meets with the security sector when he visits provinces for sorties. TV ads The President does not only Read More …

PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

 News
May 012013
 
PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

President Benigno Aquino III is not out to check if his allies in the provinces will support the entire administration slate in the upcoming midterm polls, his spokesperson said Wednesday. In a phone patch interview, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda denied a statement from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the administration’s rival coalition in this year’s elections, that the President is already conducting loyalty checks on Liberal Party members on the ground. “Wala hong loyalty check po na nangyayari ngayon. I think they’re just deflecting the issues right now on the performance of the Team UNA candidates vis-à-vis the Team PNoy candidates based on the surveys that have just been released,” Lacierda said. He added that the President is satisfied with the performance of administration candidates in recent surveys. On Tuesday, UNA campaign manager Tobias Tiangco came out with the statement accusing LP of being “jumpy and paranoid” in the last few weeks leading up to the elections. Aquino chairs the ruling Liberal Party. “Loyalty checks are a sign of desperation and panic. Hindi nila kayang kontrolin ang mga leader nilang sumusuporta sa UNA,” Tiangco said. He attributed the supposed “undue pressure” being exerted by the ruling party on its allies to Albay Governor Joey Salceda’s move to meet with UNA candidates in his province over the weekend. Salceda heads the LP in the Bicol Region. Lacierda countered Tiangco’s claims by saying that the LP has “no reason to panic,” since it has the upper hand in the senatorial race based Read More …

LP candidates on way to rally lost at sea, end up in Sabah jail

 News
Apr 102013
 
LP candidates on way to rally lost at sea, end up in Sabah jail

By Nikko Dizon Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:53 am | Thursday, April 11th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Rough seas swept away a motorboat carrying a Liberal Party mayoral candidate, his running mate and 30 supporters from Tawi-Tawi on Tuesday and took it to, of all places, Lahad Datu in Sabah, site of five weeks of fighting between Malaysian security forces and followers of the sultan of Sulu. As a result, Rommel Matba, his vice mayoral running mate Amman Matba and 30 village leaders from Languyan town in Tawi-Tawi landed in a police station in Sandakan, where Malaysian police took them on suspicion they were reinforcements for the decimated forces of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Jamalul’s press officer Abraham Idjirani confirmed on Wednesday that Matba and his group were politicians campaigning for local elections in Languyan and not members of the sultanate’s security forces. “I was told they were traveling to Mapun municipality, also in Tawi-Tawi, for [a Liberal Party] rally when they were lost at sea because of strong currents in Tambisan Bay,” Idjirani told the Inquirer by phone. Capt. Rene Yongque, commander of Naval Task Force 62, reported that rough seas swept the Liberal Party group’s motorboat across the border at Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi where it was intercepted by Malaysian border police. Rescued? But Acting Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao used a different term to describe the misadventure of Matba’s group. “They were rescued by Malaysian maritime personnel and were taken to Sabah,” Hataman said. “We Read More …

Drilon denies backing LP slate to reclaim Senate presidency

 Entertainment
Feb 282013
 
Drilon denies backing LP slate to reclaim Senate presidency

Participants wear colorful nature-inspired costumes during a parade for the Caracol festival in Makati city, metro Manila February 24, 2013. The annual Caracol festival, the “Mardi Gras of Makati”, is held as a tribute to mother nature. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 25 (Mabuhay) – Senator Franklin Drilon denied on Monday that he is earnestly seeking the election of all Liberal Party (LP) senatorial candidates so that he can reclaim the Senate presidency. “I will not dignify those statements because I am not a candidate [but] they are barking up the wrong tree,” Drilon said in a statement. He issued the statement after United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary general and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said the 12-0 aim of LP is not for President Benigno Aquino III but for Drilon, who had served as Senate president from 2001 to 2006. “The cat is finally out of the bag. Now we know that the motivation is pure lust for power, and not selfless support for the President,” Tiangco said in a statement over the weekend. “We also know why Senate President [Juan Ponce] Enrile is being targeted by the LP and their operators. It is in the service of Drilon’s ambition to reclaim the Senate presidency which he held during the Arroyo administration,” he added. When the 16th Congress opens sessions in late June, Enrile will no longer be the Senate  chief since his term would have expired by then. In January, Enrile offered to vacate his post, only to be retained Read More …

UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

 News
Feb 202013
 
UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

In a statement, Navotas Rep. and UNA secretary general Tobias Tiangco said the UNA “is no longer obligated to include the names of Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda and Grace Poe-Llamanzares in its list of candidates.” Tiangco’s statement came a week after UNA said it will no longer campaign for its three guest candidates who will not physically show up in the coalition’s sorties. Tiangco said they tried their best to “accommodate the three candidates but that they were aware how the Liberal Party, through campaign manager Senator Franklin Drilon, has repeatedly warned them against joining their election activities.” “We would have wanted and were looking forward to having them join our nine UNA candidates in our rallies and sorties. Unfortunately, none of them have taken any concrete move or extended any meaningful gesture to assure us that they will live up to their commitments,” he said. He likewise said “public statements have been made by at least one of them ruling out participation in UNA events.” “It is clear that they have made up their minds. We need to move on,” Tiangco said. For his part, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, LP campaign spokesperson, said UNA’s decision to drop the three senatorial candidates was already “forthcoming.” “We are not surprised by the decision of UNA. Now, the lines are very clear between the reformists and the opposition. At least the people will now have a clear choice,” Evardone said in a text message. During the proclamation rallies last week, Escudero, Legarda Read More …

LP, NPC spokespersons: No rift within coalition

 News
Feb 192013
 
LP, NPC spokespersons: No rift within coalition

Spokespersons for the Liberal Party and the Nationalist People’s Coalition on Wednesday denied any rift in their coalition, following a newspaper report saying that the NPC cannot assure its support to all senatorial bets of the administration coalition. Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian, NPC spokesperson, said his party is not dissolving its partnership agreement with the LP. “The party is steadfast in working towards the electoral success of the coalition candidates. The NPC will continue to support the President and his reform agenda till his last day in office,” Gatchalian said in a text message. He added that none of the party’s officials have made a statement that the NPC will not endorse all of the ruling party’s senatorial candidates for the 2013 polls.  A report published on The Manila Bulletin, however, quoted former Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, son of NPC founder Eduardo Cojuangco, as saying that the party can guarantee its support to only three of the 12 senatorial bets of the LP-lead coalition. “Only two NPC senatorial bets, three including Chiz (Senator Francis Escudero), have a guarantee of our support,” the Manila Bulletin report quoted Cojuangco as saying.  But the NPC has only one candidate in the administration coalition, re-electionist Senator Loren Legarda. Another re-electionist, Senator Francis Escudero, was formerly aligned with the NPC, but decided to bolt the party in 2009. The administration coalition also includes candidates from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), the Nacionalista Party (NP), the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and the Akbayan Read More …

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