Biazon, 7 ex-solons, 28 others charged in 2nd batch of P10-B PDAF scam case

Face life imprisonment, offenses non-bailable; auditors also charged
QUEZON CITY (PilipinasNews) –- The Department of Justice (DOJ) and its agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), filed malversation, direct bribery and graft and corrupt practices charges against 34 individuals, including former Muntinlupa City congressman and now Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Rozzano “Ruffy” Biazon.
Another ally of President Benigno S. Aquino III, former Congressman Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro, was also charged along with Biazon.
Biazon, Valencia and six other former lawmakers were charged for reportedly earmarking some of their congressional pork barrel to benefit non-profit organizations linked to Janet Lim Napoles from 2007 to 2008 and allegedly getting kickbacks out of them.

The five other former congressmen charged and their respective kickbacks were Douglas Cagas (P9.3 million) and Marc Douglas Cagas IV (P5.54 million) of Davao del Sur, Arthur Pinggoy, Jr of South Cotabato (P7.05 million), Salacnib Baterina of Ilocos Sur (P7.5 million), and Arel Olano of Davao del Norte (P3.175 million).
Biazon, who represented Muntinlupa City, allegedly pocketed P1.95 million while Valencia reportedly got P2.4 million in kickbacks.
Also charged for reportedly acting as conduit to Napoles was former Pampanga Congresswoman Zenaida Cruz Ducut who is the chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Four other former congressmen would have been included in the charged sheet but since they are dead they were not included in the complaint. The four dead solons were not identified.
“The above lawmakers coursed their PDAF through one or two of the Napoles NGOs using either the Technology Resource Center (TRC) or the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR), or both, as implementing agencies. Most of the former congressmen received their kickbacks from Napoles through Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut, who is now the chair and CEO of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC),” the complaint stated.
While the former congressmen were not charged with plunder like the first batch of respondents, their offense are also non-bailable due to the huge amounts of money involved and also carries with it a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
 Due to the complaint against them, Biazon and Ducut may have to file a leave of absence from their government posts to be able to attend to their cases.
Biazon said he was willing to face the charges against him.
His father, incumbent Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, said he is confident that his son can present his case amid the allegations.
 “I have yet to see the documents pertinent to this issue, but I welcome the opportunity to clarify and answer the accusations, whether before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Office of the Ombudsman, or the courts,” said Biazon in a statement.
“I am willing and ready to face the allegations raised today pertaining to the Priority Development Assistance Fund allocated to my congressional district during my term as representative of the Lone District of Muntinlupa,” he said.
The BOC chief maintained that he had always exercised prudence and fidelity in the performance of his duty as representative of Muntinlupa as well as in other responsibilities to the public, and pursued projects and programs that benefited his constituents.
“But as we have seen in some instances, the processes involved have been vulnerable to abuse by certain parties,” he noted. 
The former lawmakers were accused of transferring their pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to bogus non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of the alleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles in exchange for kickbacks.
“These lawmakers used Napoles’ NGOs as conduits,” Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima said in a press conference  before the formal filing of the complaint by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before the Office of the Ombudsman.
De Lima added that Napoles is also charged as a principal in the complaint.
Likewise, 27 other personalities, including 12 auditors and three heads of government agencies were recommended charged.
The Ombudsman in turn will determine whether there is sufficient evidence against the respondents.
De Lima explained that malversation was the case and not plunder because the amount being questioned did not reach the minimum amount of P50 million.
In the case of Biazon, it was alleged that he got a kickback in the amount of P1.75 million.
According to De Lima, they are not looking at the party affiliation even if Biazon is an ally in the Liberal Party (LP) of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
De Lima said that four other former lawmakers should be included in the complaint but they are already dead.
These former lawmakers allegedly used fake NGOs of Napoles as recipients of PDAF from 2007 to 2009.
Napoles is the alleged “brains” behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam and the P900-million Malampaya Fund scam.