When this image-shattering bombshell with legislators as the culprit relative to the P10B pork barrel scam was top story, cum expose in print and broadcast channels, I did not entertain an iota of doubt that the scam is true. This reaction is based on what is known to everyone that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of old has been an illegitimate source of wealth of majority (if not all) of our lawmakers, both in the Upper and Lower Houses!!
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Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile and Jose Jinggoy Estrada face a plunder complaints over the scam before the Ombudsman, together with 34 others to include Janet Lim-Napoles, a businesswoman believed to be the P10B racket manipulator who provided kickbacks to these legislators – to as much as 50% from the PDAF fund released to what has been found out as non-existent NGOs of Napoles.
Then privilege speeches!
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Are we impressed or are our people convinced? Based on my queries from independent observers what I got was a big flat NO! Rightly so!
Why are the privilege speeches of Jinggoy, son of an ousted President and Amazing Kap Bong not convincing?
Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada used almost an hour of his privilege speech but said almost nothing to defend his case except that of sharing his frustration why they were the only ones singled out (3 of them), because others did it? My interpretation: Right from the horses’ mouth so to speak, Jinggoy, strengthened people’s belief that indeed the scams like these is a way of life among them.
Then the Amazing Kap, also a Senator Bong, like Jinggoy Estrada, just categorically said he has not been involved in the scam claiming that his signatures were faked. But how could he now deny written documents about this scam, as revealed by Ben Hur Luy, his signatures were “all his” and the COA OFFICIAL FINDINGS.
Let’s face it that the “downloading” of funds from lawmakers pork starts with the Senator or representative “writing a letter- request addressed to either the Senate President or House Speaker on how the lawmakers PDAF were to be implemented; and how much will be allocated. All signed by them.
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The actor Bong wrote and executed a script by appearing before the Senate hearing with a toy truck loaded with stocks of clean coupon bond paper. What was his purpose? Nothing but a showbiz strategy and Bong forgets that such act can only be done in a make- believe movie script, his domain. In fact those loaded in the toy truck where not scrutinized.
A toy truck is a young boy’s plaything a revelation of the boyish Bong persona and Legislators are adults, there’s no place for boys in the august halls of the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.
