Filipinos in Saudi Arabia have expressed relief following the surrender of Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind behind the 10-billion-peso “pork barrel” scam on Wednesday.
“I am glad that Janet Napoles surrendered because it is the right thing to do and her future statements about the pork barrel scam will help shed light on the issue,” Ben Rulph Corvera, 45, a Filipino working in King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), told Arab News.
Reports from Manila stated that Napoles surrendered to President Benigno Aquino III late on Wednesday night because of the 10-million-peso bounty announced by the president for information which could lead to her capture.
The OFWs said that they applauded President Aquino’s hasty and effective decision to accept the surrender of Napoles.
“If President Aquino did not do that, Napoles could be still out there thinking of ways to escape,” an OFW said.
Napoles was imprisoned in Makati City Jail but was ordered by the court to be transferred to a more secure facility at Fort Santo Domingo in Laguna, the same facility that held high-profile prisoners, among them Joseph and Jinggoy Estrada, Gringo Honasan and Nur Misuari.
Meanwhile, Filipinos in Riyadh had mixed emotions regarding Napoles’ transfer. One OFW noted the “special treatment” given to Napoles, saying that other criminals who committed simple crimes are put into normal prisons but that Napoles was being transferred to a facility for VIPs.
Corvera, on the other hand, stated the importance of moving Napoles to a more secure facility:
“Napoles is important to the Filipino nation at the moment because she is the only one who can identify her accomplices in the 10-billion-peso pork barrel scam, so moving her to a more secure Fort Santo Domingo will protect her from possible threats to her life.”
OFWs said that they are hoping that the government can quickly resolve the pork barrel scam issue now that Napoles is under their custody.
Filipinos express relief at Napoles’ surrender
