Witness recounts falling out between Napoles, Luy

A witness in the pork barrel scam on Friday recounted how the once harmonious relationship of Janet Lim-Napoles and her cousin Benhur Luy turned sour, prompting Luy to testify on the multibillion-peso fund scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles.

 

At the continuation of the hearing of Napoles’ bail petition before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, pork scam witness Merlina Suñas recounted that on December 19, 2012, Napoles had a meeting with her and other former employees Luy, Evelyn De Leon, and Ronald John Lim.

 

Suñas said it was during that meeting that Napoles found out that Luy was allegedly having his own transactions with lawmakers regarding their pork barrel.

 

“Dun po nag umpisa ang alitan ni Madam, ni Benhur at pati ako na rin po,” Suñas told the court.

 

Suñas recounted that Napoles called the meeting to check on the status of the pending transactions of the latter’s fake foundations with various implementing agencies as well as the status of the collection of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of several lawmakers.

 

Suñas said Napoles got angry when nobody could answer the businesswoman’s query regarding the status of collection of funds from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

 

Suñas explained that, back then, the Kaupdanan Para sa Mangunguma Foundation Inc., one of the foundations allegedly owned by Napoles, had an P80-million project with the DA.

 

Suñas said it was Luy who was specifically in charge of following up the status of the collection of funds from DA.

 

According to reports, the National Business Corporation (NABCOR), an attached agency of the DA, was chosen by several lawmakers as an implementing agency for the projects funded by their PDAF.

 

Pork barrel scam witnesses earlier testified that it was the implementing agencies that released the PDAF money to the foundations chosen as beneficiaries of the lawmakers’ projects.

 

“Sa meeting po na yun nagsimula ang lahat ng galit niya. Nang hinablot po niya ang CP (cellphone) ni Luy, meron po siyang nabasa na mga messages galing kay Flor. Sabi po niya (Napoles), ‘ah itong tao na ito pala ang kasabwat mo!’,” Suñas recounted.

 

Suñas described "Flor" as a fortune teller who is a common friend of Napoles and Luy.

 

Suñas said Napoles got even more angry when she saw text messages on Luy’s cellphone allegedly from a certain Maya Santos.

 

“Nang i-scroll down pa po niya ang cell phone ni Luy, doon po niya nakita ang messages from Maya,”  Suñas said.

 

When asked by Associate Justice Samuel Martires on whether the text conversation between Luy and Santos involved money, Suñas replied in the affirmative but admitted that she did not know how much was involved.

 

Upon further questioning, Suñas said Santos, a former DA employee, was the agent of Senators Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Loren Legarda and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in transacting with the Napoles-linked foundations.

 

Suñas said that after that meeting, Napoles was furious at her and Luy.
 

"Nung December 20 po nang gabi, tumawag siya sakin, sabi po niya 'sinayang mo ang pinagsamahan natin'. At marami pa po siyang masasakit na sinabi sa'kin," Suñas said.

 

She said that during that phone conversation, Napoles told her to not to report for work anymore.

 

"Sabi po niya tatawagan nalang niya ako kapag puwede na ulit akong pumasok," Suñas said.

 

Suñas said that four months passed and she did not receive a call from Napoles.

 

Suñas said she attempted to report for work once but Napoles' brother Jojo Lim supposedly told her that she cannot go to work yet as Napoles was still angry at her.

 

She told the court that she doesn't know why Napoles was angry at her.

 

She, however,  told the court that a few days after that Dec. 19 meeting, Jojo Lim called her up, forcing her to give a "statement".

 

"Pinipilit niya po ako gumawa ng statement, magsabi na daw po ako ng katotohanan. Sabi po niya 'Si Benhur pinaamin ko na, gumawa na ng statement si Benhur, kaya umamin ka na din,'," Suñas recounted.

 

She said she cannot understand what statement Napoles' brother wanted from her thus she did not make any.

 

"Hindi ko rin po alam kung ano yung sinasabi niya na statement na ginawa ni Luy," Suñas said. — JDS, GMA News