MANILA, Philippines - Some senators pocketed 50-percent of the pork barrel that went to ghost projects and bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) set up by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, key whistle-blower Benhur Luy revealed Thursday.
Appearing at the third hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Luy said some legislators will get half of their share before and after the issuance of the special allotment release order (SARO) by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Luy said Napoles and the legislator will first discuss details of their deal and make a verbal agreement on which implementing agency will receive the pork barrel.
"Pag napagkasunduan na nila kung saan ilalagak yung pondo, itong lawmakers na ito susulat sa DBM. Naka-attach na po dun yung kanilang identified implementing agency, identified project description, amount kung ano yung napagusapan nila," he said.
Employees of the JLN (Janet Lim-Napoles) Corporation will prepare the project proposal that will be forwarded to the DBM by the legislator, who will also endorse the project to the implementing agency.
When the lawmaker asks for his share in the pork barrel, Napoles will draw from her own pocket.
"Si Ms. Napoles kasi liquid siya. Meron siyang ibang pera na pagkukuhanan," Luy said.
Napoles will only release the other half of the lawmaker's share the JLN corporation is already given a copy of the SARO.
Luy said 40 percent of the released pork barrel went to Napoles and the remaining 10 percent went to officials of the implementing agencies.
Napoles herself or her driver brought bags of cash to the senators, he said. Sometimes, lawmakers themselves or their chiefs of staff also went to Napoles' office to get the money.
Luy added that some members of the senators' staff would also accompany them to the bank to withdraw their share from the pork barrel.
"Cash po. Meron ho MC (manager's check) pero hindi nakapangalan sa senador. In the Lower House, it was fund transfers. They gave account numbers and we credited the money to their account," he said.
Luy said he never personally saw legislators receive the cash or checks, but claimed that he was sometimes asked to prepare the cash -- as much as P20 million -- in their office.
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, who was also present at the hearing, asked that Luy be allowed not to name the lawmakers involved as of the moment.
“Maybe it is after all in the public interest to hear a representative voice from the whistleblowers and hear from him firsthand what has been coursed by media,” De Lima said.
“But in the testimony of the whistleblower, may I make one request -- kung pwede lang po, wala muna tayong mga papangalanan na pangalan,” she said.
Luy, the second cousin of Napoles who headed one of the bogus NGOs, said the businesswoman had established some 20 bogus organizations and foundations, but only eight were used to access lawmakers' pork barrel.
He said Napoles shut down three NGOs after they were discovered to be involved in the fertilizer fund scam of 2003 to 2004.
