1. 1. NO MORE PDAF IN 2014 BUDGET
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has ascertained that lawmakers will no longer have pork barrel by 2014. He said the PHP25.2 billion budget appropriated for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which represents the amount that Senators and Congressmen receive (PHP200 million and PHP70 million respectively) has been scrapped from the proposed budget for 2014. Belmonte stressed though that the funds will instead be given to various agencies “to which lawmakers reserve the right to recommend beneficiaries of medical and educational assistance.” Earlier, the House leadership signed a statement supporting the abolition of the PDAF. The signatories were: Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, Deputy Speakers Henedina Abad, Giorgidi Aggabao, Robbie Puno, Pangalian Balindong, Carlos Padilla and Sergio Apostol, and party leaders Elipidio Barzaga of the National Unity Party, Mel Senen Sarmiento of Liberal Party, Eleandro Jesus Madrona of the Nacionalista Party, Abigail Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance, Enrique Cojuangco and Mark Mendoza of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, and party-list representatives Nicanor Briones and Raymond Mendoza.
2. NAPOLES ASKS TO DEFER ARRAIGNMENT
Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles has asked the court to postpone her arraignment for a case of serious illegal detention. Her team of lawyers filed an 18-page motion with the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC), asking to defer her arraignment for Monday. Napoles and her brother Reynald Lim have been charged with illegal detention by the pork barrel scam whistleblower, Benhur Luy. Makati RTC Branch 150 will be hearing Napoles’ motion on Friday as well as another petition filed by her brother to suspend the hearing.
3. NAPOLES PORK RECORDS BARED
Five notebooks containing evidence of transactions and properties all proving that businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles is indeed part of the pork barrel scam have been turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The notebooks, in different sizes and colors are from Napoles’ business company JLN Corp.“These notebooks were records from 2012 up to August 2013 and all information contained in these notebooks, we personally wrote,” claimed the whistle blowers. The witness claimed that there are codenames used by Napoles in the transactions entered in the notebooks. ’Kuya’ and ‘Sexy’ are the code names for Sen. Jinggoy [Estrada]. ‘Pogi’ is for Sen. Bong [Ramon Revilla], and ‘Tanda’ is for Sen. [Juan Ponce] Enrile,.”
*The first notebook contains transactions and payouts.
*The second notebook, with a red cover, lists down Napoles’ properties.
*The third notebook (blue) are records of documents received by the whistle-blowers on behalf of their boss, credit card numbers and details of credit-card transactions.
*The fourth notebook (red) contains the names of contact persons and their phone numbers.
*The fifth notebook (blue-green) is an organizer of the whistle-blowers.
4. RICE PRICE PROBE SET
Countless other irregularities are being brought out into the light. This time, authorities want to know why rice prices have increased by as much PHP5 per kilo in public markets. Congress will be looking into reports that the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Department of Agriculture earned PHP457 million from rice imports. NFA officials said they have nothing to hide. NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said “we have the data and records to support our claims. There is no such thing as bloating the figure of our rice stocks.”
5. NUR MISUARI IN SERIOUS CONDITION
Moro politician, founder and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Nur Misuari is seriously ill. According to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, the military has found out about Misuari’s condition since they continue to monitor the Moro leader’s movements. Gazmin, however, did not elaborate on the illness of 71-year-old leader of the Bangsamoro Republik.
Infographic from Wiki Commons
