Janet Lim-Napoles, the woman in the center of the pork barrel scandal, is beginning to get used to living in detention, the Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman said on Wednesday.
Senior Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac said Napoles’ health has greatly improved on her third day in Fort Santo Domingo in Santa Rosa, Laguna province.
Sindac said that all of Napoles’ vital signs were normal, and so were her blood pressure and blood glucose level, Sindac told reporters in Camp Crame.
Her blood pressure shot up on Monday after she suffered an “anxiety attack” that was reportedly triggered by claustrophobia.
The following night, the businesswoman’s blood pressure rose again after she experienced a tingling sensation on the left side of her face.
Medical staff of the police camp attended to Napoles.
Sindac said Napoles reportedly suffers from hypertension, nausea, headache and her blood pressure shot-up again.
But on Wednesday, she had no medical issues, and was well enough to eat corned beef, egg omelet and rice for breakfast and pork nilaga and rice for lunch, Sindac said.
He added that custodians of the detainee had gone to the court Tuesday to discuss among others issues about her medical problems.
“The agenda was all about medical concerns. They also discussed emergency cases and there should be a doctor’s clearance first before she could be brought to a hospital. All other reasons need a court order,” Sindac said.
There was no word if Napoles was expecting visitors on Wednesday.
Arraignment
Also yesterday, her lawyer, Lorna Kapunan filed for the postponement of Napoles’ September 9 arraignment for serious illegal detention before Makati City Judge Elmo Alameda.
In an urgent motion, Kapunan said Alameda had yet to resolve several pending motions filed in behalf of her client.
Kapunan on Tuesday filed a motion requesting information on the charge against Napoles and her brother, Reynald Lim.
There is also a petition for certiorari questioning the legality of the warrant of arrest issued earlier by Alameda, and another one pending at the Court of Appeals contesting the arrest warrant.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) accused Napoles and her brother Reynald of illegally detaining Benhur Luy, an employee of Napoles’ JLN Group of Companies.
Kapunan also asked the Makati court to require the prosecution to provide more “definite and clear statements” on the case against Napoles.
She said Napoles was not sufficiently informed of the crime she is being charged, citing that it was “defective and vague.”
In their motion for bill of particulars, Kapunan said the private complainants and Luy did not specify the facts and instances that “led to the ridiculous conclusion that Janet was involved in the illegal detention of Benhur at Bahay San Jose.”
‘Pork’ probe
Kapunan also asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to clarify whether the NBI investigation into the pork barrel scam will be closed-door or open to the public.
If it is public, Kapunan said Napoles was willing to attend the investigation.
“Allow Napoles to attend so that she will know the nature and quality of this whistleblower evidence,” she added.
Libel
Napoles has filed four libel complaints against five journalists, a blogger and a fashion designer, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.
Libel charges were filed before the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office against Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) reporter Gil Cabacungan, managing editor Jose Maria Nolasco, editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, and publisher Raul Pangalangan; Rappler.com reporter Natasya Gutierrez; blogger Berteni “Toto” Causing; and fashion designer Eduardo Baddeo.
They were sued for articles, blog posts and an interview implicating Napoles’ involvement in the pork barrel scam, and exposing the lavish lifestyle of her family using money reportedly accumulated by stealing public money.
The Center for Media Freeedom and Responsibility, which first reported the libel case, said Napoles was asking for “P10 million in damages and attorney’s fees” in each of the four cases.
Between July 12 and 17, the Inquirer ran a six-part investigative report detailing how the rescue of kidnap victim Benhur Luy led to the discovery of the alleged misuse of P10 billion worth of PDAF.
Rappler.com published reports on the lifestyle of Napoles’ daughter Jeane (July 26, 2013), and on a property named after her that roughly amounted to P80 million in Los Angeles, California (July 31, 2013).
Fashion designer Baddeo, who used to have Napoles as a client, expressed his support of Luy’s allegations as whistleblower, in an interview and through posts on his Facebook account.
Causing, on his blog, also wrote about Jeane Napoles’ show of extravagance in her blog and social media accounts.
Separately, Napoles also filed a disbarment case against Causing.