Lacson’s ‘Napolist’ implicates 10 incumbent senators

(Updated 8:19 p.m.) Ten incumbent senators, as well as two ranking members of President Benigno Aquino III's Cabinet, benefited from the pork barrel scam based on former Senator Panfilo Lacson's copy of the list supposedly prepared by scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
 
The list, which Lacson submitted to the Senate blue ribbon committee, listed the following senators as allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam:
 

• Ramon Revilla Jr.,
• Jinggoy Estrada,
• Juan Ponce Enrile,
• Vicente Sotto III,
• Loren Legarda,
• Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III,
• Alan Peter Cayetano,
• Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan II,
• Francis Escudero, and
• JV Ejercito

Former Senate President Manny Villar and the late Senator Robert Barbers were also among those on the list, as well as Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., former Batanes congressman and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala.

Almost all senators on the list have already denied pocketing portions of their pork barrel funds through bogus non-government organizations linked to Napoles.

In a statement, Abad maintained that he has never dealt with Napoles in any capacity, claiming attempts to link him to the scam are part of efforts to bring down the Aquino administration.

Napoles' unsigned affidavit

In an unsigned affidavit and narration of events that Lacson submitted to the Senate blue ribbon committee, Napoles detailed how the senators supposedly received 40 to 55 percent in pork barrel kickbacks.

Napoles claimed Enrile received over P116 million in pork barrel commissions from 2007 to 2009. She said the kickbacks were coursed through either Enrile's former aide Gigi Reyes or Ruby Tuason, who is now a government witness.

Revilla, meanwhile, was accused of receiving P110 million in kickbacks. Napoles said she personally handed Revilla P8 million in his Muntinlupa house in January 2009.

Estrada, on the other hand, got over P98 million in pork barrel commissions. Napoles said the transaction happened in his San Juan City office in 2009.

Napoles did not give much details on her supposed transactions with the seven other incumbent senators. She merely listed the lawmakers' "agents," or the agencies where their pork barrel funds supposedly ended up, and how much kickbacks they allegedly received.

Estrada, Revilla and Enrile are facing plunder charges for their alleged involvement in the scam. The three have repeatedly denied the accusation.

Fewer senators

Fewer senators were implicated in Lacson's "Napolist" compared to other copies of the list earlier reported.

A copy of Napoles' list obtained by GMA News linked 13 incumbent senators in the alleged pork barrel scam.

Ejercito was not on that list, but Senators Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. were included.

Lacson, who claimed to have obtained the list from Napoles' relatives, had earlier said at least 13 senators were implicated in the alleged anomaly.

Aside from the senators, 68 other past and incumbent members of the House of Representatives were also included in Lacson's list.

Among the past House members mentioned were President Benigno Aquino III's allies like Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director Joel Villanueva (former CIBAC party-list congressman), and resigned Customs chief Ruffy Biazon (former Muntinlupa congressman). —RSJ/KBK, GMA News