Grand conspiracy behind pork barrel

It is absolutely absurd and ridiculous to think that a woman who only reached high school could pull strings and defraud the government of billions of pesos in the pork barrel scam.

Janet Lim Napoles, from all indications, is only a pawn in the game. She even claimed in her affidavit that she does not possess the skill to run a "complicated scheme" such as embezzling the government by the billions.

So there must be a grand conspiracy between Napoles and the higher echelon of government authority in the bureaucracy to break a very stringent but defective system of fund management in government.

The much-ballyhooed "Napoles list" is a hoax. It is clearly a diversionary tactic apparently concocted by the conspirators to divert public attention away from the real issues which are now under investigation and possible prosecution.

Some senators and congressmen who were implicated in the scam claimed innocence and that their signatures were only forged in the documents. Well, it is easy to determine whether they are telling the truth or lying through their teeth.

The National Bureau of Investigation has handwriting and fingerprint experts who can determine the authenticity of such signatures and fingerprints by simply examining them under the ultra-violet rays. No matter how the signatures are forged, the NBI experts have the technical knowhow to determine the authentic from fake signature.

When I was with the Social Security System, an NBI agent showed me the process of determining a fake signature from the salary loan check fraudulently encashed in a bank.

After six months, as a rule, all SSS checks encashed through any bank in the country are returned to the SSS for safekeeping. The investigation was prompted when one SSS member complained that someone had availed of salary loan under his name and signature.

Through the ultra-violet rays test, the signature in the check was found to be forged and thus the loan was fraudulent. The SSS promptly debited the amount to the account of the bank that encashed it. The bank, in turn, went after the cashier who encashed the fraudulent check. The cashier was in quandary what to do with the SSS member who encashed it.

The senators and congressmen involved in the scam must find other reasons than claim that their signatures were being forged in the document. Otherwise, they will be setting their own trap. To insist on such a flimsy alibi is a sure passport to jail. Signatures don't lie, only the signatories do.

There is no such thing as fake non-government organization either. If there is, then it is the government agency that approved and registered it that is to blame. It is at the height of hypocrisy that government agencies put a lot of stringent regulations and red tapes for applications only to be outwitted by a simple housewife and businesswoman.

As an NGO consultant, I knew how extremely difficult it is to register a non-stock, non-profit organization with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are certain requirements to be submitted such as: the name verification slip, articles of incorporation and by-laws, written undertaking to change corporate name, resolution of the Board of Directors, certified list of members, list of contributors and amount of contribution and registration data sheet.

Aside from SEC, the NGO should also be registered and certified by the Philippine Council for NGO which is a private corporation whose main function is to certify non-profit organizations that meet established criteria for financial management and accountability.

To avail of projects, an NGO must hurdle an even more stringent guidelines from funding agencies whether it be foreign or locally funded. The most common requirements are: letter of intent, project proposal, proven track record of project management for at least three years, audited financial statements, SEC registration, Board resolution to undertake the project, updated resumes of officers and Board of  Directors, accreditation from the local government unit where it operates and other pertinent documents.