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[av_heading heading=’ Aguirre: ‘Pork’ raps up vs Abad, opposition senators’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO and PRINCE GOLEZ
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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
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MANILA – Senators Leila de Lima, Franklin Drilon and Antonio Trillanes IV were facing charges in connection with the pork barrel scam, Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre disclosed on Monday.
The camp of Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the funneling of Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to bogus nongovernment organizations, was set to file the charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Former Budget secretary Florencio Abad will be included in the charges, Aguirre said in a televised interview.
“Nakausap ko na po actually ang kanyang lawyer. And in a few days maglalabas sila ng kaukulang habla at ifa-file nila iyon sa DOJ,” Aguirre told ABS-CBN Channel 2’s morning show “Umagang Kay Ganda.”
Aside from the four mentioned, Napoles’ camp will also file charges against “prominent personalities,” still in connection with the pork barrel controversy, Aguirre revealed.
“Mga ilang personalities po, talagang prominent personalities po na involved sa PDAF scam ang uunahin nila,” the Justice chief said.
Trillanes denied the allegations. “I categorically deny any involvement in any irregularity regarding PDAF, DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) or any government funds for that matter,” he said on Monday.
He was never included in any list of those accused of involvement in the scam before, the senator stressed.
“Aguirre has been using his office to persecute and harass members of the opposition by fabricating testimonies from dubious convicts or detainees such as the Bilibid drug lords, Kerwin Espinosa and now Napoles,” Trillanes said.
Meanwhile Drilon described the allegation as “blatant lie,” “outright black propaganda” and “political harassment.”
“The intention is obvious from the personalities being linked. Sinu-sino ba ang target ng administrasyon? Former president Benigno Aquino, former Budget secretary Florencio Abad, Sen. Sonny Trillanes, detained senator Leila de Lima, and myself,” said the Senate minority leader. “If this is not revenge, I don’t know what it is.”
The Ilonggo senator vowed to respond to the allegation at the “proper time” and “proper venue.”
Earlier Aguirre said he plans to use Napoles as state witness in the DOJ’s reinvestigation of the misuse of pork barrel funds during the Benigno Aquino III administration.
But the Justice secretary clarified that turning Napoles into state witness will not absolve her of other plunder charges.
Napoles was recently acquitted from illegal detention charges filed by pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, a relative.
President Rodrigo Duterte floated the idea of reinvestigating the PDAF scam, saying de Lima — a former Justice secretary — allegedly shielded the Aquino administration allies from the pork barrel cases./PN
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