COA sheds light on Enrile PDAF allocations

MANILA - The head of the Commission on Audit team that investigated pork barrel allocations of lawmakers from 2007-2009 has shed more light on how pork barrel funds of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile were used.

Prosecution witness Susan Garcia, head of the COA special audit team, said Enrile authorized his then chief of staff, Atty. Jessica "Gigi" Reyes, to sign documents that allocated his priority development assistance funds (PDAF) to several projects.

Reyes, in turn, authorized her deputy to transact with implementing agencies, which initiated the pork barrel projects.

Garcia testified that some of the suppliers that got Enrile's PDAF were either unlicensed or were holding office in a residential area. At least one NGO held office in a sari-sari store.

Enrile is facing plunder and graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for allocating millions of pesos of his pork barrel to bogus NGOs of Janet Lim Napoles.

Garcia's testimony was done during the bail hearing of Janet Napoles at the Sandiganbayan Third Division. For lack of time, the prosecution moved for the continuance of Garcia's teatimony next week.

After the hearing, Napoles's lawyer Stephen David said in an ambush interview that there were 82 NGOs investigated in the COA special audit for 2007 to 2009 but only eight were linked to Mrs. Napoles.

He earlier told the court that this proves Napoles is not the pork barrel queen.

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COA sheds light on Enrile PDAF allocations