Tag Archives: Pork Barrel

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PHILIPPINES RUNNING OUT OF JAIL SPACE FOR THOSE INDICTED UNDER THE PORK BARREL SCAM

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The refurbished "bungalow jails" at Camp Crame in Quezon City
The refurbished “bungalow jails” at Camp Crame in Quezon City

Quezon City, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – With hundreds facing jail time in connection with the 10 Billion-peso pork barrel scam, the Philippines is facing an acute shortage of jail cells and detention facilities, it was announced today.  In addition to the three senators and their associates who have recently been indicted of plunder and other crimes, many more are expected to be named by the Ombudsman for their involvement in the elaborate scheme to siphon taxpayer money into ghost projects and the pockets of politicians that include other senators, congressmen and Aquino administration officials. Rumor has it that more than half of sitting senators and over a hundred congressmen have been implicated in the scam by suspected mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

The announcement of the jail shortage was made  as media reporters were shown the refurbished bungalows inside Camp Crame which will serve as detention facilities for Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, Jr. — all of whom were indicted for non-bailable plunder in connection withe pork barrel scam.  Camp Crame is the headquarters of the Philippine National Police and is located along EDSA — the boulevard that was the center of the people’s power revolution that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos.

As a way of dealing with the jail shortage, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered the sequestration of the condominiums owned by Napoles. The windows and doors of the condo units will be fitted with iron bars, and door locks will be replaced with heavy bolts.  They will be emptied of all furniture except for a banig (straw mat) to serve as sleeping mat and airconditioning in the units will be totally disconnected.

As to who will be detained in these “condo jails,” de Lima said that the decision will be left to the courts.  However, de Lima added that due to a conflict of interest, Napoles will not be eligible for detention in her own condo. Napoles is currently in detention at another “bungalow jail’ at Fort Sto. Domingo, a police camp in Santa Rosa, Laguna, south of Manila.

 

Film and TV, Health & Medicine, Human Interest, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, The Media

INDICTED PHILIPPINE SENATORS CHOOSE WHERE THEY PREFER TO BE JAILED

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L-R: Enrile, Estrada, Revilla
L-R: Enrile, Estrada, Revilla

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – All eyes are currently focused on the three Philippine senators who have been indicted for the non-bailable offense of plunder in connection with the 10 Billion-peso pork barrel scam. The three senators are Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, Jr. Their arrest and detention are just days away, pending review of the charges by various courts to which their respective cases were assigned and raffled off.

Yesterday, the Office of the President issued a statement saying that each of the three senators can choose where they want to be jailed.

In an interview with The Adobo Chronicles, the three senators revealed their personal choices of where they want to be detained:

  • Enrile, now 90 years old, said he wants to be locked in at Golden Acres in Quezon City, a home for the elderly.
  • Estrada said he wants to be jailed at Manila’s City Hall, next to the office of his dad, Joseph Estrada who is the mayor of Manila.
  • Revilla said his preference is to be sequestered inside one of the recording studios of the television network ABS-CBN in Quezon City so he could continue to record songs and music videos like the one he unveiled during his privilege speech at the Senate Floor earlier this week.

Ah, the Philippines, bastion of freedom, Democracy and privilege!

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PHILIPPINES’ ENTRY TO OSCAR BEST ORIGINAL SONG CATEGORY REVEALED

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The senator, the composer
The senator, the composer

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Filipino American music composer Robert Lopez may have started a possible winning streak for Filipinos in the much-coveted Oscar Award for Best Song, after winning in this year’s Academy Awards with his composition, ‘Let It Go,’ from the Disney movie Frozen.

The Philippines has yet to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, much less a nomination, but already, it has set its sight for the Best Original Song category, by submitting its official entry to the 2015 Oscars.

Although the song entry is not necessarily from a full-length film feature, the Philippines is hoping the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will bend its rules and consider a nomination for the Philippines’ extraordinary entry.

The song submission was composed by movie actor and Philippine Senator Bong Revilla, Jr., titled, “Salamat, Kaibigan”  (Thank you, friend). Revilla unveiled his composition during his privilege speech before the Philippine Senate, during which he proclaimed his innocence from charges of plunder in connection with the 10 Billion peso pork barrel scandal. He himself sang and recorded the song. He dedicated the song to all his supporters, believers and fans who continue to be on his side through thick and thin.

Revilla, along with other senators and congressmen, was among those indicted by the Philippine Ombudsman investigating the scam of siphoning taxpayer money into the pockets of politicians and businessmen. His arrest and detention may come any minute now.

Here is an exclusive video of the nominated song: