De Lima admits difficulty in looking for Napoles, brother

MANILA, Philippines - There’s still no trace of fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her brother Reynald Lim a week after they were ordered arrested by a Makati City court in connection with an illegal detention case filed by her former employee and whistleblower in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted difficulty in tracking down the siblings, citing their vast resources and connections. “Didn’t she brag earlier that she was controlling the government?” 

But she stressed there is no letup in the hunt for Napoles and Lim by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is under the Department of Justice. 

“Our manhunt is continuing nationwide despite the weather. We have not stopped,” NBI director Nonnatus Rojas said in a text message to reporters.

“If I were her, I would surrender and face the case in court and the other cases to follow,” De Lima said.

Napoles’ former employee Benhur Luy accused her of illegal detention after they had a falling out. It was Luy who first squealed on her alleged collusion with some lawmakers in cornering chunks of their pork barrel funds, officially called Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF.

The NBI earlier said it had received tips about supposed sightings of Napoles and some of her 30 vehicles, but the information turned out to be false.

Other high-profile fugitives like former Palawan governor Joel Reyes, Globe Asiatique owner Delfin Lee and retired Gen. Jovito Palparan have also evaded arrest by the NBI.

The Court of Appeals (CA) had ordered a freeze on Napoles’ 107 bank accounts, effectively preventing her from using all or part of her resources while in hiding.

Latest immigration records also show that neither Napoles nor Lim has left the country since the revocation of their passports on Friday.

De Lima bared last week the NBI was set to file charges related to the P10-billion pork scam “in the next few days.” She emphasized that an investigation into the scam can push through even without Napoles.

De Lima reiterated her appeal to the public for help in locating or arresting Napoles and her brother. She said the public may contact the NBI at 524-1141 or 0917-5838612 to relay relevant information on the fugitives.

Meanwhile, administrators of a Facebook page calling for the abolition of the PDAF have posted the alleged contact information of Napoles and members of her family.

Anonymous Incorporated – which has more than 13,000 likes as of yesterday afternoon – posted on Monday more than a dozen mobile, land line and international numbers allegedly belonging to Napoles, her husband, and their children.

The post also included supposed “verified, valid and working addresses” of Napoles and some of her relatives. It also included the alleged addresses of the family in the Philippines and in the United States.

The post did not reveal where the supposed contact information came from, but noted that its members sacrificed a lot in the past few weeks.

“We put the lives of our families in danger, our loved ones and our friends,” it read. – With Aie Balagtas See, Janvic Mateo