When guilty, make the mess, messier

Making life worth living
By Ellen Tordesillas
Malaya

Napoles couple in a luxury bash.

Dirty tricks operators have joined the Jenny Napoles pork barrel scam controversy to make the mess messier.

The immediate objective is clearly to distract attention from Napoles and members of her family and cause confusion. Sad to say some members of media fell into the trap.

Philippine Star ran a story yesterday implicating three senators who are allies of President Aquino in the pork barrel scam operated by Napoles. The three named in the report, attributing the information to whistleblower Benhur Luy and allegedly leaked by the National Bureau of Investigation, were Senators Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes IV and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who oversees the NBI, categorically denied the report.

“We are wondering where those additional names are coming from. As far as I know, those names do not appear in the docs/records currently in NBI’s possession,” de Lima said adding that “There appear to be unseen hands or elements that are trying to muddle the ongoing NBI probe.”

De Lima could be right because we have also heard of one dirty tricks operator who was active in the last election being busy again contacting media people.

By noontime yesterday, the story could not be found online. When one clicked at the title, a notice appeared that “Page requested cannot be found. It may have been removed, renamed or is temporarily unavailable.”

NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas also denied the report: “Hindi po totoo yun, evidence gathering po kami and until such time na ma-finish ‘yan, wala ho kaming pinapangalanan.”

Rojas cautioned the public to be careful about media reports. “It’s very important then for the readers to discriminate ‘pag nagbabasa sa diyaryo. Tingnan mabuti kung based ba sa interview, did they name kung sino ang ini-interview at pinangalanan si ganito at si ganyan, or nakalagay lang sa diyaryo na according to sources, according to sources that is privy to the investigation. Ang sinabi daw ay si senator ganyan, congressman ganyan. Ika-klaro ko lang, NBI will not reveal the progress of the investigation kaya if ever those will come out in the newspaper, I hope that our readers will be more discriminating. “

Even the lawyer of Luy, Levito Baligod, denied the report.

Jeane Napoles,luxury-loving daughter of Janet.

In a statement, Baligod said, “ There is no truth to what came out in certain print and on-line news items that Benhur Luy named in any written statement additional legislators as being involved in the so-called PDAF SCAM. Any statement to that effect is the responsibility of the concerned reporter.”

Trillanes said, it’s good that Secretary de Lima, Director Rojas and Atty. Baligod clarified the story: “Maganda naman at nilinaw ng DOJ, NBI at abogado mismo ni Benhur Luy na hindi kami kasangkot sa prok barrel scam. Ito ay nagpapakita lamang na may naninira at nanggugulo ng imbestigasyun ng NBI para matabunan ang kanilang pangungurakot.”

Pimentel categorically denied his alleged participation in the scam that reportedly involved some P10 billion in the Priority Development Assistance Fund. “Not a single centavo of my PDAF or pork barrel went to any of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foundations being alleged to be fronts in the pork barrel scam allegedly perpetrated by a certain Janet Lim Napoles,” he said.

“My list of PDAF projects is open to the public for scrutiny. I, therefore, welcome any and all investigations on this matter”, he added.

He said he is supporting Malacanang’s position giving NBI a “free hand” in the investigation. “Let the hammer fall where it is due because good governance and the fight against corruption must transcend party lines.”

But he reminded the agency “to observe discipline among its ranks to prevent ‘leakages by anonymous sources ‘in the ongoing investigation so as not to destroy reputations of people.”

Napoles and her cohorts thought with all the money that they have stolen from the people, they have become untouchable.
The initial strategy of discrediting Luy has not won them sympathy. Luy, being her former partner in crime makes the scandal a quarrel among thieves. And that makes Luy’s expose credible.

Napoles and her gang are now desperate and they will use all means, foul included, to get themselves out of the huge trouble they have created.

People, beware!
- See more at: http://www.ellentordesillas.com/2013/08/01/when-guilty-make-the-mess-messier/#sthash.mA99V5yg.dpuf