COA report reveals identities of 2 new senators involved in PDAF scam

(Updated 11:03 a.m., September 5) Two senators have been implicated in a new Commission on Audit report on the alleged misuse of pork barrel funds in the last two years.
 

Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Loren Legarda were mentioned in the 2011-2012 COA report, parts of which were read by University of the Philippines economics professor Solita Monsod, host of GMA News TV's “Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie” on Monday night.

At the Senate hearing last week, COA chief Ma. Gracia Pulido Tan said two more senators will soon be implicated in the pork barrel scam in a COA report on the Philippine Forest Corp. 

According to the COA report, Senators Loren Legarda and Bongbong Marcos gave P15 million and P10 million, respectively, to Pilar and Dinalupihan municipalities in Bataan, which released the money to People's Organization for Progress and Development Foundation, Inc. (POPDF), one of the NGOs that the COA had earlier linked to Napoles.

 

Marcos declined to comment when asked if he indeed released portions of his PDAF to the Philippine Forest Corp. last year.

"I haven't seen that. Alam mo mahaba pa ito. Hinihintay ko lang lagi ang findings ng mga imbestigasyon. Mahirap magsalita... These are news reports. I am waiting for the investigative report," Marcos said.

Legarda, on the other hand, told GMA News Online, "I have never endorsed any PDAF or project to Phil. Forest and support Sec. Paje's call for its abolition."

Tan was present as Monsod read from the report and did not correct anything that was read out, except for the matter that “new” legislators were now said to be part of the scam.
 

 

“In context 'yun,” corrected Tan. “Kasi, doon sa Senado, apat lang yata o limang senador yung... nakalagay. 

 

“Inexplain ko po sa Senado ay tungkol lamang doon sa walo na Napoles-linked NGOs. And there are 82 NGOs. And there are many more legislators na kasama na hindi doon sa walo.”

 

A graphic of a table from the report was then shown, which according to Tan, dealt with “Dinalupihan and Pilar, Bataan.”

 

The table attributed P10 million each linked to Marcos and Legarda. Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada were also listed in the table. 

 

Neither Monsod nor Tan explained what the amounts meant. 

 

Tan had hinted during the August 29 Senate hearing on the PDAF scam, that two new senators would be implicated in the pork barrel anomaly by a new COA report.

Senate President Franklin Drilon had asked Tan to name the two senators, but the COA chief declined, pending the release of the audit report.