Tuason admits getting kickbacks for Jinggoy, JPE: lawyer

MANILA - A former aide of ex-President Joseph Estrada has admitted that she received millions of pesos in kickbacks for Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, a lawyer for the pork scam whistle-blowers said Friday. Atty. Levito Baligod said Ruby Tuason, a former aide of ex-president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and believed to be the conduit of Senators Enrile and Estrada in the pork scam, had returned to the Philippines to atone for the scandal and reveal all she knows about its workings. Baligod said he received the gist of Tuason's sworn statement, which gave details about her role in the scam including the receipt of multimillion-peso kickbacks from businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, which she then gave to the accused legislators. "Siya po ang derechong kausap ni Mrs. Napoles tungkol sa [priority development assistance funds] ni Senator Juan Ponce Enrile at yung chief of staff niya na si Gigi Reyes at PDAF ni Jinggoy Estrada," he said in a radio dzMM interview. He said that based on the information he received, Tuason corroborated the earlier testimonies of the pork scam whistle-blowers and gave new information on "the disposition of the kickbacks." He said Tuason gave details on "who, where and when the kickbacks were received." "Yung ilalahad po niyang statements ay napakabigat po at mahihirapan makalusot ang mga legislators na binanggit," he said. He added: "There is enough reason to silence her forever." Baligod said it was the strength of Tuason's statements that prompted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to allow provision admission of Tuason into the witness protection program. Only de Lima, lawyer Dennis Manalo and top National Bureau of Investigation officials have copies of Tuason's affidavit. Tuason arrived in Manila at around 3:40 a.m. Friday on board PAL flight PR 105 from San Francisco. DZMM's Dennis Datu said NBI agents reportedly picked her up from San Francisco, and an NBI special task force secured her from NAIA Terminal 2 to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The Bureau of Immigration earlier said Tuason left the country on August 26, just two days before alleged scam mastermind Janet Napoles surrendered to President Aquino. A former social secretary of Estrada, Tuason has been linked to both the P10 billion pork barrel scam of Napoles and the Malampaya fund scam. She was charged with plunder along with former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, former Budget Secretary Rolando, and several others for allegedly pocketing the funds obtained as royalties from the natural gas project off the seas of Palawan. [CHARGED WITH PLUNDER - http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/03/13/gma-ermita-face-plunder-over-malampaya-fund-misuse] The complaint said Tuason pocketed P242.775 million in kickbacks "received through bank withdrawals for a still unidentified principal." [POCKETED - http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/focus/10/04/13/who-did-ruby-tuason-work-malampaya-scam] Mrs. Arroyo has denied that she is the unidentified principal of Tuason, whose late husband is a cousin of Mike Arroyo. [DENIED - http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/07/13/gma-denies-she-ruby-tuasons-principal]