Priest says donations from Napoles received ‘in utmost good faith’

A Catholic priest on Thursday admitted receiving cash donations from a foundation linked to alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles on behalf of his charity group.

However, Msgr. Josefino Ramirez of the Divine Mercy, Asia said there was nothing illegal about the donations given by Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation, and that they were received “in utmost good faith and without any knowledge as to the source of the funds.”

“As Coordinator for Divine Mercy, Asia, appointed by the Church, I received the donations of the Foundation as well as from other donors with the sole intention of using the same for the projects of the Divine Mercy,” he said in a statement released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila.

Napoles, detained in connection with a serious illegal detention case, allegedly masterminded the scam where millions of pesos from lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) ended up in bogus non-government organizations.

Reports on the donations were based on the digital records of Napoles' former finance officer, Benhur Luy, who is now the principal whistleblower in the pork barrel scam.

In his statement, Ramirez also admitted that Napoles herself gave P2 million — and not P2.5 million as earlier reported — to Caritas Salve Savings and Livelihood with Values Education Credit.

“The amount of P2M, not P2.5M, was donated by Mrs. Napoles to the CARITAS SALVE Savings and Livelihood with Values Education Credit, a micro-finance program under Caritas Manila,” he said.

He also said he received P434,451 from Napoles for a travel to Rome, but added the amount was not only for him but also for the four Chinese priests who represented China to the World Apostolate Congress of Mercy (WACOM) in Rome.

Ramirez also confirmed reports that some priests and nuns were given stipend when invited during special occasions.

"Since I met Ms. Napoles only in 2007, I can only attest to the fact that from 2007-2010, stipends were given to priests and nuns invited during special occasions, such as office anniversaries, the funeral Mass of Mrs. Magdalena Luy Lim, her death anniversary and other memorable occasions," he said.

Magdalena Luy Lim was Napoles' mother.

“The priests, who were friends of Napoles family, and nuns were invited from various provinces and congregations. They were given stipends for their Charities and transportation,” Ramirez said. —KBK, GMA News