TIMELINE: The Napoles diary, a year after surrender

MANILA, Philippines – By Thursday, August 28, it would be a year since alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles gave herself up to authorities.

After she was named in 2013 as the culprit in the country’s biggest corruption scandal in recent history, Napoles became a fugitive, with President Benigno Aquino III announcing a P10-million bounty for her arrest. It didn’t take a long for her to surrender. (READ: TIMELINE: Janet Napoles from scandal to testimony)

Since her detention, Rappler has followed almost all updates on Napoles – the status of her case, her health condition, her whereabouts, among others. See them all in the timeline below.

 

August 28, Wednesday
Napoles surrendered at 9:08 pm to Malacañang officials who met her at the Heritage Park in Taguig City. She arrived at Malacañang at 9:37 pm, where she came face to face with President Benigno Aquino III.

Aquino turned her over to the custody of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director Alan Purisima. Napoles spent the night at the Camp Crame headquarters of the PNP.

August 29, Thursday
Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 150 ordered the transfer of Napoles from Camp Crame to the Makati City Jail. Sheriff Joseph Edwin Carreon left the Makati court around 2 pm to deliver the commitment order to Napoles in Camp Crame.

The Napoles camp asked the Makati court to stop the transfer of Napoles, but the transfer still pushed through. 

Wearing a bullet-proof vest, Napoles left Camp Crame shortly past 11 pm, and arrived at the city jail at 11:20 pm. She was brought to an air-conditioned office, not a cell, for security reasons.

August 30, Friday
Makati City Jail Chief Inspector Fermin Enriquez told the Makati RTC he would approve the transfer of Napoles to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig or Camp Crame in Quezon City for security reasons.

The Makati RTC granted the petition of Napoles to be moved out of Makati City Jail. The court ordered that Napoles be transferred to Fort Sto Domingo in Sta Rosa, Laguna.

August 31, Saturday
Despite the court order, Napoles remained at the Makati City Jail as preparations to beef up security and prepare facilities at Fort Sto Domingo, Laguna were still underway.

 

September 1, Sunday
Napoles was finally transferred to her new detention facility in Fort Sto Domingo. She left the city jail at around 5:05 am and arrived between 5:30 and 6 am in Laguna.

September 6, Friday
The Makati RTC postponed the arraignment of Napoles from September 9 to September 23 due to time constraints in resolving numerous motions.

September 10, Tuesday
A day after several photos showing Senate President Franklin Drilon and Napoles together at a party were released, Drilon admitted meeting Napoles in “less than 10” social gatherings. He added that none of his development funds went to non-governmental organizations linked to Napoles.

September 16, Monday
Napoles and other lawmakers and government officials were charged with varying degrees of corruption before the Ombudsman.

Also, the Napoles camp filed a petition for bail, with her lawyers arguing that the evidence of the prosecution was “weak.”

September 20, Friday
In the first hearing on Napoles’ motion for bail, her camp asked the court to hear and resolve the bail plea by the following week or else they would “insist on her release.” The hearing ended with the court scheduling marathon hearings on September 27.

September 23, Monday
Napoles filed an urgent motion before the Makati RTC to have her arraignment on that day moved to Fort Sto Domingo due to security and logistical concerns. The court received the motion 10:50 am Monday, hours before Napoles’ arraignment was scheduled to begin.

Napoles remained silent during her arraignment, and did not enter a plea given her pending motions with the Court of Appeals to stop the proceedings against her. This led Makati Judge Elmo Alameda to enter a “not guilty” plea for her.

September 24, Tuesday
Senators clashed on the decision to summon Napoles to testify before the blue ribbon committee. In a press conference, Drilon said the Senate would abide by the advice of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales not to summon Napoles.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Teofisto “TG” Guingona III disagreed with Drilon and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in citing the confidentiality rule of the Office of the Ombudsman. He also took a swipe at the two for allegedly blocking the probe.

September 26, Thursday
Napoles and her husband Jimmy were charged by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for tax evasion. In a press briefing, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said Napoles’ total liability stands at P44.68 million, while Jaime’s liability is worth P16.43 million.

September 30, Saturday
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales stood by her decision advising the Senate against summoning Napoles. But she also stressed that her advice was not meant to challenge the independence of the Senate.

 

October 21, Monday
Drilon finally agreed to sign the subpoena for Napoles. The Senate issued a subpoena summoning Napoles to testify before the blue ribbon committee on November 7 at 10 am.

October 24, Thursday
Two weeks before her scheduled appearance before the Senate blue ribbon committee, Napoles was brought to the Southern Luzon Hospital in Sta Rosa, Laguna after experiencing pain and suffering from nausea and continuous vomiting. Initial findings indicated that her symptoms were caused by stones in her ureter.

October 25, Friday
A day after Napoles was rushed to the hospital, concerns over her mental health rose as her lawyer Lorna Kapunan said solitary confinement had driven her client to talk to herself at night.

October 30, Wednesday
Kapunan resigned as the lawyer of Napoles. Lawyers knowledgeable about the resignation said there was a difference in strategy between Kapunan and collaborating counsel Alfredo Villamor.

November 1, Friday
For the first time in years, Napoles was unable to visit the grave of her mother, Magdalena Lim, at the family mausoleum in Heritage Park in Taguig City, where Napoles used to host halloween parties and death anniversary celebrations for her mother.

November 5, Tuesday
Two days before her scheduled testimony, Napoles sent a letter to Drilon and Guingona to postpone the hearing as she said she had no lawyer to “guard her rights.” But the Senate turned down her request, saying lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office can assist her.

November 7, Thursday
Napoles finally faced the Senate to deliver her long overdue testimony. She denied being wealthy, yet she admitted owning multiple expensive properties. Senators tried to extract answers from her, but she managed to deflect most of the questions.

November 21, Thursday
Judge Elmo Alameda junked Napoles’ petition for bail, saying that the evidence against her was strong.

November 29, Friday
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the second batch of complaints related to the pork barrel scam with the Office of the Ombudsman against Napoles and 33 other individuals.

December 10, Tuesday
More than two months after the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed tax evasion charges against the Napoles couple, the two submitted a 12-page counter-affidavit on their alleged liabilities that totaled P61 million.

 

 

 

February 12, Wednesday
The Makati RTC denied for lack of merit Napoles’ motion for reconsideration involving her request to post bail.

February 18, Tuesday
Napoles filed for a petition to allow her to visit St Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City and undergo a transvaginal ultrasound examination because of her “profuse menstrual bleeding.”

February 24, Monday
Napoles was allowed to undergo medical examinations she needed – not at St Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig as she requested, but in Camp Crame in Quezon City. The court said Camp Crame has the facilities to conduct a transvaginal ultrasound, as well as a PT and PTT test on Napoles.

February 26, Wednesday
Napoles stepped out of her detention center in Laguna for the first time in 2014 for her medical examinations at the Camp Crame General Hospital.

The medical tests showed “nothing alarming” about her health, and doctors said there was no need to hospitalize her.

Also, the Manila RTC Branch 22 issued a Provisional Asset Preservation Order (PAPO), which prohibited Napoles and other members of her family from touching select assets under their name until mid-March.

March 6, Thursday
In a motion filed before the Makati RTC, Napoles said she wanted to undergo medical surgery and hospital confinement only at St Luke’s Global City and not at any other facility. She added the nature of the procedures requires that she be comfortable with her doctors.

March 18, Tuesday
Dr Santiago del Rosario of the Makati Medical Center ob-gyn department was summoned by the defense team to testify on the need of Napoles to undergo surgery and confinement. Del Rosario said Napoles’ age makes the situation “urgent.”

March 21, Friday
Napoles made a surprise appearance before the Makati RTC and pleaded that she be allowed to undergo surgery and confinement. She said conflicting results from different hospitals caused her to worry: the Southern Luzon Medical Center said she has cancer, while the Camp Crame General Hospital said she has a myoma.

Napoles was brought to the Ospital ng Makati, but hospital director Perry Peralta said there was nothing urgent in her condition. She was discharged and sent back to her detention center in Sta Rosa, Laguna.

March 28, Friday
The Makati RTC granted Napoles’ plea to stay in a hospital for treatment. The court, however, barred her from going to the posh St Luke’s Medical Center, and allowed her to stay at the Ospital ng Makati.

March 31, Monday
The Court of Appeals denied her bid to stop her indictment for the alleged illegal detention of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy. The court released a 23-page decision (dated March 26) which found the “probable cause” for the complaint against Napoles “does not appear to have been made with grave abuse of discretion.”

In the evening, Napoles was transferred from her detention cell in Fort Sto Domingo to the Ospital ng Makati to undergo surgery. Napoles was confined inside a small air-conditioned room with its own bathroom and seats to accommodate up to two people.

April 1, Tuesday
Six months after it received the plunder complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman finally filed charges against Napoles and 9 other officials.

April 3, Thursday
The Manila RTC issued an asset preservation order (APO) that effectively froze properties suspected to have been illegally acquired by Napoles and her family. In a 33-page order (dated March 25), Executive Judge Mariano dela Cruz Jr said there is reasonable cause to believe that the subject properties are “related to unlawful activities.”

April 7, Monday
Napoles was given the clearance to undergo a biopsy before she could move to other procedures.

April 8, Tuesday
Based on the biopsy, the myoma in Napoles’ uterus was “pre-cancerous, and the full diagnosis was “severe adenomyosis of the uterus with multiple adenomyomatous and endometrial hyperplasia.”

April 21, Monday
It was announced that Napoles would finally undergo surgery to have a myoma removed from her uterus. Her counsel said Napoles may undergo surgery on April 22 or April 23.

April 22, Tuesday
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima revealed that Napoles had finally agreed to “tell all” about the controversy and turn state witness. But Napoles was not given any guarantee she could become a state witness, as her affidavit would have to be evaluated first.

April 23, Wednesday
In contrast with De Lima’s statement, the Napoles camp said they are not demanding that she be made state witness in exchange for her testimony on the case. Her lawyer said she was sick and was due to undergo a major surgery when she spoke with De Lima.

Meanwhile, Napoles underwent a two-hour surgery to remove her tumor, which involved the removal of her uterus and ovaries. Her doctors described the surgery as “uneventful”.

May 14, Wednesday
During the hearing on Napoles’ motion to extend her hospital stay, counsel Bruce Rivera said some of the ‘Napolists’ published in the media contain names that are not in Napoles’ original list.

May 15, Thursday
Peralta testified in court and said the Ospital ng Makati issued a discharge order on May 5, a week after the hysterectomy operation – claiming that Napoles should have been moved back to her detention center in Laguna more than a week ago.

May 20, Tuesday
The Makati RTC denied Napoles’ motion for further hospital confinement “due to lack of merit,” saying there’s are no legal or medical reasons to justify longer stay at the Ospital ng Makati.

May 21, Wednesday
Napoles’ doctors reported “abnormal vaginal bleeding,” almost a month after she underwent a complete hysterectomy. Her bleeding prompted doctors to withdraw the discharge order.

May 22, Thursday
The Napoles camp said they would be unable to submit her affidavit as promised because of her medical woes. De Lima said she would ask for an extension until May 26 to submit the affidavit.

May 26, Monday
As Napoles was already “responding to the medications” administered to stop her bleeding, an Ospital ng Makati doctor said it would be safe to discharge her by May 29.

Also, Napoles’ lawyers submitted to justice department her two affidavits, where Napoles asked for forgiveness, offered to be state witness, and talked about “tuwid na daan” or straight path.

Guingona said the Senate will release to the media the Napoles affidavits obtained from the justice department.

May 29, Thursday
The Ospital ng Makati finally issued a discharge order for Napoles. At the same time, a Makati court also dismissed her plea to extend her stay in the hospital.

She was returned to Fort Sto Domingo in the evening, after almost two months of confinement at the hospital.

June 5, Thursday
The Ombudsman denied Napoles’ request for immunity, saying she is “among the most guilty of all respondents.” The Napoles camp filed a motion for reconsideration.

June 10, Tuesday
Manila 5th District Representative Amado Bagatsing filed a complaint against Napoles after she claimed he got rebates for a project implemented by the Technology Resource Center (formerly the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center).

June 15, Monday
Napoles filed separate 35-page motions before the Sandiganbayan’s 1st, 3rd, and 5th divisions to explain that she did not engage in any “conspiracy” to enrich lawmakers.

June 26, Thursday
Napoles pleaded not guilty to plunder charges in the 1st division of the Sandiganbayan.

July 8, Tuesday
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) rejected Napoles’ request for the prelates to take her under their custody. They cited obstacles from both Church and State laws” in rejecting the request.

July 14, Monday
Ombudsman prosecutors asked the Sandiganbayan 1st division to order the transfer of Napoles, Senator Bong Revilla Jr and his aide Richard Cambe to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

July 23, Wednesday
Napoles opposed the bid to have her transferred to Taguig City, claiming security risks.

July 25, Friday
The Sandiganbayan ordered Napoles’ “immediate transfer” to a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa. Her lawyers said they were all “saddened” by the decision.

July 26, Saturday
The Sandiganbayan reiterated its order for Napoles’ transfer, as the PNP deferred action on the court order.

July 28, Monday
Napoles was transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. Inside the police camp is a BJMP facility where Napoles stays inside the “livelihood rooms”.

August 19, Tuesday
More than two months after Bagatsing filed a perjury case against Napoles, she retracted her statement and claimed they never had a transaction. – with research by Gwen dela Cruz/Rappler.com

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: Continue following the developments from her detention in 2014 up to recent events in this timeline.