Customs chief Biazon, 33 others charged over 'pork' scam

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential ally and Bureau of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon is among the 34 individuals charged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday for their supposed involvement in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Justice Sec. Leila de Lima said in a televised news conference that those included in the second batch of cases in the pork barrel scam were charged with malversation of public funds, graft and corruption, and direct bribery.

Among those charged are seven former congressmen including Biazon, who allegedly got kickbacks from pork barrel funds that were diverted to bogus non-government organizations of suspected scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, who was also charged again on Friday.

The lawmakers and the amounts of their supposed kickbacks are:

• Salacnib Baterina (1st district, Ilocos Sur) - P7.5 million
• Biazon (Muntinlupa) - P1.95 million
• Marc Douglas Cagas IV (1st district, Davao del Sur) - P5.54 million
• Douglas Cagas (1st district, Davao del Sur) - P9.3 million
• Arrel Olano (1st district, Davao del Norte) - P3.1 million
• Arthur Pingoy Jr (2nd district, South Cotabato) - P7.5 million
• Rodolfo Valencia (1st district, Oriental Mindoro) - P2.41 million

De Lima said Biazon, Baterina and Cagas coursed their pork barrel funds to the Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc. (PSDFI)

She said four more lawmakers should also be charged but they are already deceased.

The others who were also charged on Friday include two representatives of congressmen, three heads and seven employees of implementing agencies, 12 state auditors and two presidents of alleged fake NGOs set up by Napoles.

Representatives of lawmakers
Zenaida Cruz-Ducut - former Pampanga 2nd District Rep and agent of Baterina, Biazon, Cagas and Pingoy)
Celia Cuasay - representative of Valencia

Heads of agencies
Alan Javellana - former president, National Agribusiness Corp. (NABCOR)
Antonio Ortiz - former director general, Technology Resource Center (TRC)
Dennis Cunanan - former deputy director general, TRC

Napoles NGO presidents
Mylene Encarnacion - Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic and Development Foundation, Inc (CARED)
Evelyn de Leon - PSDFI

Employees and officials of implementing agencies
Victor Cacal - NABCOR
Romulo Relevo - NABCOR
Ma. Ninez Gaunizo - NABCOR
Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson - NABCOR
Rhodora Mendoza - NABCOR
Francisco Figura - TRC
Marivic Jover - TRC

NABCOR resident auditors
Annie Recabo
Rebecca Aquino
Bella Tesorero
Susan Guardian
Elizabeth Savella
Merle Valentin
Diana Casado
Aida Villania
Laarni Lyn Torres
Herminia Aquino

TRC resident auditors
Jerry Calayan
Sylvia Montes

De Lima said they used four standards in determining who should be charged:

- funds involved are from lawmakers' pork barrel
- lawmakers who used Napoles NGOs as conduits
- based on knowledge of Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers
- supporting documents from the Commission on Audit covering 2007 to 2009

She also explained that the filing of the second batch of cases was delayed since the DOJ tried to cover other periods other than the years 2007 to 2009.

Last July, Biazon offered to resign from his post after Pres. Benigno Aquino III berated in his State of the Nation Address the BOC for the alleged incompetence and corrupt practices of some of its officials and employees.

However, Aquino did not accept Biazon's resignation offer. Since then, the administration has taken steps to reform the embattled bureau.

Biazon is a member of the Liberal Party who ran and lost in the 2010 national elections.

He was a part of the senatorial slate by Aquino, then a presidential candidate.

The NBI filed the first set of charges last July against Napoles, the suspected scam mastermind, and 37 other individuals for their alleged involvement in the multi-billion peso conspiracy to divert lawmakers' pork barrel funds to fake NGOs and ghost projects in exchange for kickbacks.

Five lawmakers were charged for allegedly committing plunder in conspiracy with Napoles and officials of government implementing agencies when they each accumulated more than P50 million through a series of transactions over time through misappropriation, conversion, misuse, and malversation of the cash value of the project cost allocated from the lawmakers’ funds and through their acceptance of kickbacks or commissions.

They were Senators Ramon Revilla Jr, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, former Masbate 3rd district Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete and former Apec Party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez.

Former Representatives Rodolfo Plaza, Samuel Dangwa and Constantino Jaraula were also charged for their alleged involvement in malversation, direct bribery, and other graft and corrupt practices:

Also charged last September were chiefs-of-staff or representatives of the said lawmakers, heads and officials of three implementing agencies, and several presidents of the NGOs supposedly set up by Napoles.

Napoles is currently jailed in Fort Sto. Domingo, Laguna due to the serious illegal detention charges filed by scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, who is also a relative and former employee of the businesswoman.

Earlier this month, Napoles testified in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the pork barrel scam, but she evaded questions and refused to divulge her knowledge on the controversy.