Isabela mayor, Pangasinan barangay chairmen deny receiving Revilla PDAF

The mayor of Tumauini, Isabela and former barangay officials from Pangasinan on Thursday denied receiving livelihood seminars funded by the Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF) of detained former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

During Revilla's graft trial at the Sandiganbayan First Division, Tumauini Mayor Arnold Bautista and municipal development officer Conrado Amistad said the town received none of the P517 million worth of PDAF allegedly funneled to bogus non-government organizations of Janet Lim-Napoles.

Former Barangay Esmeralda officer-in-charge Ramel Serdeniola and former Barangay Kasikis chieftain Johnny Carajay also denied receiving PDAF-funded livelihood projects. Barangays Esmeralda and Kasikis are in Pangasinan.

Serdeniola said he told graft investigators in 2013 that his barangay received none of Revilla's congressional allotment, while some of the attendees listed in his PDAF-funded livelihood seminar were non-residents.

"Wala kaming natanggap na tulong mula sa PDAF ni Senator Revilla. Halos kilala ko na rin po lahat ng nakatira roon," Serdeniola said.

Carajay, now an incumbent councilor of Alcala town, also said investigators went to his home in 2013 and showed him a list of the supposed residents of his barangay.

He denied receiving public funds from Revilla while some of the names on the list were not residents of Barangay Kasikis.

"They are not residents. I would know because I live there and I have served as public servant for almost 10 years," he said.

Carajay admitted during the cross examination of Atty. Carlos Villaruz that he first saw the list on the same day investigators interviewed him.

Villaruz, however, said none of the details on the list shows a connection between Revilla and his alleged criminal liability.

"There is nothing in the list which states that there is a connection with accused Revilla," he said.

The presentation of evidence in the plunder case of Revilla has been moved to March 20. The Supreme Court has yet to act on his plead of a temporary restraining order to stop the trial and allow him to post bail. —KG, GMA News