The Sandiganbayan has once again placed Janet Lim-Napoles, the central figure in the pork barrel scandal, at the center of a landmark conviction — sentencing her to a maximum of 55 years in prison for the misuse of P7.55 million in public funds tied to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of then-Davao del Sur congressman and now Vice Governor Marc Douglas Cagas IV.
In a 149-page ruling released Thursday, the anti-graft court’s Third Division convicted Napoles of two counts each of graft and malversation of public funds. Each graft charge carried a sentence of six to 10 years, while the malversation counts earned her prison terms of 10 to 16 years and 10 to 18 years, respectively.
This is far from Napoles’ first brush with justice. Already serving time at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong for her 2018 plunder conviction involving P517 million in PDAF linked to former senator Bong Revilla Jr., the ruling underscores how her network of bogus NGOs and government contacts enabled the siphoning of billions in taxpayer money over the years.
The decision also found three former government executives guilty: Dennis Cunanan and Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana of the now-defunct Technology Resource Center (TRC), and Rhodora Mendoza of the likewise-abolished National Agribusiness Corp. (NABCOR). They face both prison time and lifetime disqualification from holding public office. Alongside Napoles, they were ordered to pay millions in fines and restitution.
Meanwhile, several co-accused were acquitted, including former budget undersecretary Mario Relampagos and other Department of Budget and Management personnel, as the prosecution failed to establish their guilt. The case against ex-Energy Regulatory Commission chair Zenaida Ducut remains on hold due to her medical condition.
The charges stemmed from projects funded by Cagas’ PDAF, funneled into Napoles-linked foundations — Progress and Development Foundation Inc. and Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc. — that supposedly carried out agricultural initiatives. Investigators found these projects were ghost programs, designed purely to divert funds into private pockets.
Cagas, however, avoided trial after securing a plea bargain with the Ombudsman. He admitted to lesser charges, returned P12.95 million, and had the more serious graft and malversation raps dropped.
While Napoles continues to be the face of the pork barrel scam, the ruling again shines a light on the systemic failures that allowed such large-scale fraud to flourish — from pliant lawmakers and complicit government agencies to the ease of creating bogus NGOs.
For many observers, the verdict sends a message: accountability, though delayed, can still be delivered. But it also revives a lingering question — how many more public officials and enablers have yet to be truly held to account for one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals?