The incredible Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan, the deputy director general of Technology Resource Center (TRC), said of the some P600 million PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) or pork barrel that passed through his office and ended up in the pockets of three senators and Janet Napoles, he didn’t get a single centavo.

Incredible! As incredible as Cunanan, a college undergraduate, getting appointed by Gloria Arroyo as executive director of the Commission on Higher Education.

Thanks Karina Constantino-David for reminding the public of that attempt by Cunanan to put one over the Filipino people.

David, former chair of the Civil Service Commission (she is now a member of the board of directors of the Government Service Insurance System) recalled that CHED officials and the Employees Union were protesting the appointment of Cunanan as executive director because he misrepresented himself as a having graduated from the University of the Philippines.

“We investigated and true enough, he did not graduate from college, a basic requirement for almost all government posts. He was told to leave.”

Cunanan’s lawyer, Odessa Bernabe, has a creative explanation for that foiled fraud, as reported in the Inquirer.

Bernabe said Cunanan was not fired. He resigned. Okay, sige na.

Bernabe said:“He was not kicked out. He was even thankful then because he found out his educational status and started attending to it accordingly.”

He didn’t know that he was not a college graduate? For the position to oversee the country’s higher education!

Bernabe said, instead of UP that he put in his biodata, Cunanan eventually acquired a college diploma from Lacson College in Pasay City.

Cunanan is among those charged for plunder in connection with the multi-billion pork barrel scam operated by Janet Napoles in connivance with senators, congressmen, legislative staff and other government officials.

The inclusion of Cunanan among the respondents was based on the testimony of Benhur Luy, the primary whistleblower in this anomaly that has dragged Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla.

Cunanan recently came out and offered to turn state witness. He has been admitted provisionally under the Witness Protection Program.

If admitted in the WPP, Cunanan would be dropped from the plunder charge sheet. What is he giving to the government and to the Filipino people to go unpunished for conniving with those who deprived the people billions of pesos that would have otherwise been spent to build classrooms, health centers, farm-to-market roads and other projects?

De Lima said the information Cunanan is giving them will bolster the testimony of Benhur Luy.

There we go again, just like in the case of Ruby Tuason. Cunanan is not giving anything more than what Luy and his fellow original whistleblowers have given.

But unlike Tuason who offered to give back P40 million of her loot, Cunanan is not giving back anything.

ABS-CBN’s Lynda Jumilla reported that Cunanan is selling his house in White Plains for P40 million. There are also talks of his family leaving for abroad.

Cunanan denies he owns the White Plains house. It’s in the name of his brother. He also said he is willing to open his bank accounts to prove his claim that he didn’t get any commission for the services he gave to Napoles and the three senators.

He really takes us for idiots. That we cannot think that stolen properties are not put under the thief’s name. That one can stash his loot under another person’s name.

But what is puzzling is how he is able to make De Lima believe him.

After Cunanan, I will no longer be surprised if tomorrow De Lima tells us that they have accepted Napoles as state witness.

Why don’t we go all the way and get Enrile, Estrada and Revilla as well. Let’s go for the most incredible.

The incredible Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan

Dennis Cunanan, the deputy director general of Technology Resource Center (TRC), said of the some P600 million PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) or pork barrel that passed through his office and ended up in the pockets of three senators and Janet Napoles, he didn’t get a single centavo.

Incredible! As incredible as Cunanan, a college undergraduate, getting appointed by Gloria Arroyo as executive director of the Commission on Higher Education.

Thanks Karina Constantino-David for reminding the public of that attempt by Cunanan to put one over the Filipino people.

David, former chair of the Civil Service Commission (she is now a member of the board of directors of the Government Service Insurance System) recalled that CHED officials and the Employees Union were protesting the appointment of Cunanan as executive director because he misrepresented himself as a having graduated from the University of the Philippines.

“We investigated and true enough, he did not graduate from college, a basic requirement for almost all government posts. He was told to leave.”

Cunanan’s lawyer, Odessa Bernabe, has a creative explanation for that foiled fraud, as reported in the Inquirer.

Bernabe said Cunanan was not fired. He resigned. Okay, sige na.

Bernabe said:“He was not kicked out. He was even thankful then because he found out his educational status and started attending to it accordingly.”

He didn’t know that he was not a college graduate? For the position to oversee the country’s higher education!

Bernabe said, instead of UP that he put in his biodata, Cunanan eventually acquired a college diploma from Lacson College in Pasay City.

Cunanan is among those charged for plunder in connection with the multi-billion pork barrel scam operated by Janet Napoles in connivance with senators, congressmen, legislative staff and other government officials.

The inclusion of Cunanan among the respondents was based on the testimony of Benhur Luy, the primary whistleblower in this anomaly that has dragged Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla.

Cunanan recently came out and offered to turn state witness. He has been admitted provisionally under the Witness Protection Program.

If admitted in the WPP, Cunanan would be dropped from the plunder charge sheet. What is he giving to the government and to the Filipino people to go unpunished for conniving with those who deprived the people billions of pesos that would have otherwise been spent to build classrooms, health centers, farm-to-market roads and other projects?

De Lima said the information Cunanan is giving them will bolster the testimony of Benhur Luy.

There we go again, just like in the case of Ruby Tuason. Cunanan is not giving anything more than what Luy and his fellow original whistleblowers have given.

But unlike Tuason who offered to give back P40 million of her loot, Cunanan is not giving back anything.

ABS-CBN’s Lynda Jumilla reported that Cunanan is selling his house in White Plains for P40 million. There are also talks of his family leaving for abroad.

Cunanan denies he owns the White Plains house. It’s in the name of his brother. He also said he is willing to open his bank accounts to prove his claim that he didn’t get any commission for the services he gave to Napoles and the three senators.

He really takes us for idiots. That we cannot think that stolen properties are not put under the thief’s name. That one can stash his loot under another person’s name.

But what is puzzling is how he is able to make De Lima believe him.

After Cunanan, I will no longer be surprised if tomorrow De Lima tells us that they have accepted Napoles as state witness.

Why don’t we go all the way and get Enrile, Estrada and Revilla as well. Let’s go for the most incredible.

NBI files plunder raps vs Enrile, Revilla, Estrada, Napoles

By VERA Files

THE National Bureau of Investigation filed on Monday afternoon plunder and malversation of public funds charges against Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, more commonly known as “pork barrel.”

Similar charges were filed against former Masbate Rep. and now Gov. Rizalina Lanete and former APEC party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez.

No fireworks seen with filing of raps vs. lawmakers

By DANA BATNAG, VERA Files

IT WILL be a much-anticipated media event, but the filing of complaints against senators and congressmen allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam is unlikely to result in fireworks or other earthshaking political upheavals.

That’s because filing a complaint with the Ombudsman is just the start of a long process—one that may take years—to make public officials accountable for their misdeeds

Click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the commentary.

The five public officials were found to have each accumulated more than P50 million, the threshold amount for plunder, through misappropriation, misuse and conversion of their PDAF allocations and acceptance of kickbacks from transactions made with Napoles and her NGOs for the PDAF-supported projects, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told a press briefing.

Charged with similar or lesser offenses–malversation, direct bribery and/or other graft and corrupt practices–were 32 other people identified by whistleblowers, all former staff of Napoles who have personal knowledge and documents of the abuse of the PDAF.

Click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the story.

Evelio Javier’s sons oppose pardon for convicted lawyer

Evelio Javier: Democracy martyr

Evelio Javier: Democracy martyr

Evelio B. Javier, former governor of Antique, died while performing a task for the restoration of democracy on Feb. 11, 1986.

He was assassinated while keeping watch over the canvassing of votes in the snap presidential election between the well-entrenched dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino, widow of the assassinated senator Benigno Aquino, Jr and mother of the current president, Benigno Aquino III.

Justice was not fully served with the acquittal of the suspected brains of the murder but it was a consolation for the Javier family that some of the accomplices in the crime were convicted.

One of those convicted was lawyer Avelino T. Javellana, who has applied for executive clemency.

The sons of Evelio B. Javier, are opposing the executive clemency for Javellana. Following is the letter of the lawyer, Victorina Javier, sent to Board of Pardons and Parole
Wednesday, which is under the Department of Justice:

“We represent the sons of the late Evelio B. Javier, Francis Gideon L. Javier and David Ignatius L. Javier, and write to express their objection in the strongest possible terms to the application for executive clemency of Avelino T. Javellana who was convicted for the murder of their father. Mr. Javellana, a lawyer, was sentenced to a penalty of Reclusion Perpetua. He was also convicted of frustrated murder and attempted murder for which separate penalties were handed down by the court.

“The late Mrs. Precious L. Javier and her children believed that Arturo F. Pacificador was the principal and mastermind in the cowardly murder of the late Evelio B. Javier. Mr. Pacificador was acquitted, however, for what the court believed to be a failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt “beyond reasonable doubt”. The family continues to believe otherwise but what is done by a mere mortal is done and they leave the exaction of justice to Divine Mercy.

“One of the accused, Rodolfo Pacificador, has taken refuge in Canada. He is the son of Arturo F. Pacificador. We still believe that the law and justice will catch up with him. Another co-accused and possibly the most dangerous, Eduardo Iran aka: “Boy Muslim” remains at large.

“As a lawyer and an officer of the court, Mr. Javellana’s participation is most reprehensible. He has sworn to uphold the law and the truth yet for gain and political patronage participated in the murder of our father and the suppression of cherished rights. The killing of Evelio B. Javier in broad daylight and in the presence of so many witnesses was done with impunity as the perpetrators were so heavily armed as to instill fear in anyone who would dare raise an outcry and attempt to help him as he attempted to flee while e gravely wounded. Most of them were in fact officers of the law and the military. Mr. Javellana was part of the conspiracy and among those convicted he was the person least expected to disregard the law or induce others to do so. He deserves no clemency. If the law prescribes a maximum period of service of sentence, let him serve it to the maximum.

“We also believe that Mr. Javellana is still in contact with Mr. Iran and Mr. Rodolfo Pacificador. The Javier family is still actively pursuing their prosecution so their liaison will pose a real and grave danger to the two sons of Evelio B. Javier, as well as to other surviving victims.
Francis Gideon L. Javier was abroad on business when he learned of the application for clemency. He was unable to sign his letter of objection before continuing on to the United States where his brother resides. They are in continuously in consultation with us and other lawyers and reserve the right to submit a more extensive opposition even as they believe this comment sufficiently constitutes a strong objection to any application for executive clemency of Mr. Javellana, including temporary liberty on parole which is undeserved and as dangerous to them us as full liberty.

“Mr. Javellana does not deserve to remain a lawyer and should thus be disbarred but that is another matter that will be addressed in due time.

“We do not have the exact date that your notice was received by Mr. Abelardo Sibugan, who is the caretaker of the San Jose, Antique residence of the Javier family, but we are certain that this was less than two weeks ago.

“All of the foregoing properly considered and in order to do justice to a genuine hero of the 1986 Revolution, the application for executive clemency of Mr. Avelino T. Javellana must be denied.”

The letter was signed by Victorino X. Fornier and Elsa R. Divinagracia, lawyers of Gideon and David Javier.

President Aquino has been furnished this letter. So has Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Why is Aquino not helping Jun Lozada


Lozada’s friends wonder if Aquino’s attitude could have something to do with Lozada not consenting to his request in February 2008 for him (Aquino, who was then senator) to fetch the former in Hongkong, where he was told by then Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to hide so he could not testify in the Senate investigation of the NBN/ZTE deal.

It would have been a chance for Aquino, who had a lackluster record as senator, to shine.

President Cory Aquino spearheaded the “Mass for Truth and Accountability” in support of Jun Lozada in 2008.

While waiting for the arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division to be served to Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, the government’s star witness in the NBN/ZTE plunder case against Gloria Arroyo, members of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines wrote Police Chief Alan Purisima requesting, among others,to make sure that “no untoward incident” would happen.

The nuns must be thinking of last month’s incident in Batangas when Fernando Morales , allegedly linked with Vic Siman who was among those killed in the Atimonan massacre, was killed while policemen were serving his arrest warrant for illegal possession of firearms.

Morales was in his underwear and was dragged out of his house at 1:30 a.m.

The arrest warrant for Lozada had nothing to do with NBN/ZTE. It’s for his alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly awarding the leasehold right of a 6,599 hectare land to his brother Jose Orlando Lozada when he was still president of the Philippine Forest Corporation, a government-owned corporation.

Jose Orlando availed of a board-approved program of the PFC.

A P30,000 bail each was set for the temporary liberty of Lozada and his brother. Lozada has returned to the sanctuary of the Religious again, just like when he was testifying on the $320 million telecommunications deal, one of the biggest scandals in the Arroyo administrations.

Last Wednesday, the nuns who support Lozada met with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Social Services Dinky Soliman and Education Secretary Armin Luistro.

It will be recalled that the La Salle Religious community, of which Luistro was a member, provided Lozada and his family sanctuary when Gloria Arroyo was in power. Luistro together with Soliman actively supported Lozada’s crusade against Arroyo. Press Secretary Edwin Lacierda was Lozada’s lawyer.

The nuns complained why Erwin Santos, who was Arroyo hatchet man against Lozada, continues to be president of PFC.

Sources said the cabinet members told the nuns that Lozada is “out of President Aquino’s hands.” The appointment of Santos is the responsibility of Cesar L.Villanueva, chairman of Governance Commission for Government-owned- and -controlled Corporations, they said.

The nuns, it seems, are not satisfied with the explanation because they are seeking an audience with the President.

Supporters of Aquino who marched with Lozada against Arroyo are puzzled with Aquino’s icy, even adverse, attitude towards the whistleblower. The President had intervened directly in the case of Grace Padaca, even paying with his own money for her bail. The DOJ removed from the list of accused in the Ampatuan massacre the name of Norie Unas, the chief of staff of former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., whom they used as star witness against Arroyo in the hastily- prepared electoral sabotage case.

Lozada’s friends wonder if Aquino’s attitude could have something to do with Lozada not consenting to his request in February 2008 for him (Aquino, who was then senator) to fetch the former in Hongkong, where he was told by then Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to hide so he could not testify in the Senate investigation of the NBN/ZTE deal.

It would have been a chance for Aquino, who had a lackluster record as senator, to shine.

Actually, it was not only Aquino that Lozada turned down. A number of politicians, businessmen, lawyers, and members of media offered but his decision was he would only go with the Religious.

Which was what he did when he surfaced after being waylaid by police authorities upon his arrival from Hongkong.

In the course of his testimony in the NBN/ZTE case, Lozada stepped on powerful toes who continue to wield clout even with the change of political leadership. That’s what he and his family are concerned about. They still remember Marlene Esperat, the star witness in the Fertilizer scam, who was gunned down in front of her children.

Lozada said he will abide by the law. He is not running from justice. He is just being careful.

Related article:

http://www.ellentordesillas.com/2013/02/05/lozada-finds-no-support-from-aquino/