By JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA
REPORTER
THE MANILA TIMES
REPORTER
THE MANILA TIMES
This photo of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Gigi Reyes was posted on Facebook by Manuel de los Santos.
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) was urged on Sunday to seriously consider making Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, the former chief of staff of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, a state witness so she can reveal everything she knows about the release of public funds to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) controlled by Janet Lim Napoles.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th and Dante Jimenez, head of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), said Reyes can narrate the circumstances behind the release of Enrile’s PDAF to the questionable NGOs and his connection to Napoles.
They said Reyes should “spill the beans” now that her former boss had practically disowned her.
Enrile’s camp said last week Reyes was not authorized to sign documents for the senator.
“It is obvious that Enrile wants to pin her down. So the best thing for Atty. Reyes to do now is to tell everything she knows,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez noted that Enrile’s claim that Reyes could have acted on her own when she signed the documents transferring pork barrel funds to bogus NGOs is clearly an alibi in an attempt to distance the senator from the scam.
He said Reyes has direct knowledge of the transaction, including the receiving of kickbacks from PDAF which according to one witness were personally delivered to Reyes.
“We are willing to back Reyes and have her included in the witness protection program (WPP), we believe that Enrile is the most guilty,” Jimenez said.
The former trusted aide, who was among dozens of personalities charged with plunder at the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the misuse of the PDAF, expressed her indignation in her Facebook account being dumped by her former boss.
Also charged with plunder by the DOJ were Enrile and senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
In her Facebook account, who said she served Enrile “with full dedication, honesty and loyalty” for 25 years, lashed out at Enrile’s lawyer Enrique de la Cruz.
“A certain Atty. Enrique dela Cruz has been doing the media rounds saying that Senator Enrile did not give his blessings to any of the acts I performed on his behalf. He directly accused me of doing things without the Senator’s knowledge and going beyond the authority conferred upon me. Not content, Atty. dela Cruz goes on to say that the office of the Senator was investigating me for what he calls “katiwalian”, and that I, NOT THE SENATOR, will be liable,” she said.
“True enough, I have lost contact with Senator Enrile and this very tragic development is beyond my comprehension. Does this Atty. dela Cruz REALLY know whereof he speaks? Really?”
“The last time I spoke to the Senator from abroad, he maintained that he will stand by the authority he issued to me and that all that I did was faithful and pursuant to his instructions. He even told me to be strong; that we will fight together to prove the accusations against us are false and fabricated.”
“I never once thought that this day would come. I never stepped on anyone’s toes nor abused my position in all the years I served in the Senate. But I have earned the bitter ire and enmity of some people by and large because and in defense of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.”
“IF INDEED THESE STATEMENTS ARE SANCTIONED BY OR COMING FROM MY FORMER BOSS, THEN NOTHING CAN BE WORSE THAN THIS KIND OF TRAVESTY AND BETRAYAL,” Reyes said.
Reyes left the country on August 31. Immigration records listed her destination as Macau.
She said she decided to leave “to seek some peace and quiet amid the barrage of adverse and downright insulting publicity and commentary against me in the mainstream and social media.”
“Before I left, I had already engaged the services of my legal counsel to prepare for my defense because as things stood, it was a foregone conclusion that I would be included in the complaint long bruited about by Atty. Levito Baligod. Atty. Baligod interestingly hails from Tuao, Cagayan Province- the stronghold of the Enriles’ political adversaries in local politics,” she said.
“I have yet to confront my accusers and the supposed “evidence” against me. I have every intention to defend myself, my name and my honor and to acquit myself of all the baseless charges and blatant lies being spread about me and those contained in perjured affidavits of so-called whistle-blowers. I grieve at how all the dirt, harsh judgment, blame and vicious publicity heaped upon me has besmirched my family and the good honor and memory of my late father, Pat H. Gonzales, former editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulletin, and that of my late father-in-law, Ambassador Vicente G. Reyes. There may be no saints among us and I do not profess to be one. Yet, as it has been in all of human history, it is easy for sinners to cast stones.”
24th senator
Reyes, who was dubbed the 24th senator because of the influenced she wielded as Enrile’s chief of staff, was never in the limelight until she was thrust into it early this year over the “cash gifts” her boss distributed to selected senators.
Reyes, who was dubbed the 24th senator because of the influenced she wielded as Enrile’s chief of staff, was never in the limelight until she was thrust into it early this year over the “cash gifts” her boss distributed to selected senators.
To colleagues and people at the Senate, Reyes was known as the hardworking and loyal chief of staff of Enrile.
She managed to stay out of the media despite rumors of her romantic relationship with Enrile by remaining quiet and letting the issue pass.
However, Reyes drew attention to herself early this year when she called up a radio station and described some members of the Senate minority as “hypocrites” for questioning the release of the P250,000 cash gifts.
That radio interview only raised more questions as to her real role at the office of Enrile, who was then Senate president.
Reyes may feel bad over the bad press she claims to have gotten but she should be familiar with how mediamen work. After all, she is the daughter of the late Pat H. Gonzales, the former editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulletin.
She took up law at the University of the Philippines (UP) graduating in 1987.
Her husband, Rodolfo “Inky” Reyes, is also a UP law graduate and was appointed as administrator and chief executive officer of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) in 1997.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen is one of Reyes’ batch mates at UP.
Reyes met Enrile when she joined the Pecabar (Ponce Enrile, Cayetano, Reyes and Manalastas) law firm in 1988 after passing the Bar. She eventually became Enrile’s chief of staff.
Rumors about their relationship first surfaced in 1998 in an article published by the Chicago Tribune which reported that Enrile’s wife, Cristina, walked out on him after learning he was having an affair.
The Chicago Tribune article identified the other woman as Gigi Gonzales-Reyes. Other articles about the supposed Enrile-Reyes romance have since come out but Enrile denied the rumors.
But last January, the romantic angle resurfaced in a privilege speech by then minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who was criticized by Reyes for not returning the additional cash given to him even after questioning the gift.
Reyes said as Enrile’s chief of staff, she worked directly with the Senate secretary concerning all the administrative and finance matters that need the Senate President’s signature and approval.
It was Cayetano who said called Reyes the “24th senator” because she was allowed in the senators’ lounge, and joined the senators’ caucuses and participated in discussions as if she were one of them.
There were only 23 senators in the 15th Congress because then senator Benigno Aquino 3rd was elected President in 2010.
Reyes was also authorized to sign checks, memorandums and other documents in behalf of her boss just like the checks intended as “cash gift” to senators last year, Cayetano disclosed.
At that time, Enrile defended Reyes, saying he usually delegates administrative power to trusted aides like Reyes.
“They are the ones who prepare the letters, sign checks for me under my authority and responsibility with the report of disbursement of money,” Enrile had said.
The incident prompted Reyes to resign.
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