Janet Lim-Napoles, known as the “pork barrel queen” and the mastermind behind a massive political scandal, has faced another conviction for her role in the misappropriation of Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF).

This time, it involves the former lawmaker Salacnib Baterina from Ilocos Sur.

The SandiganBayan, the anti-graft court in the Philippines, handed down its verdict on Friday, concluding that Napoles was guilty of three counts of malversation and graft in connection with the disbursement of PDAF funds amounting to P33.9 million from former Ilocos Sur 1st District Representative Salacnib Baterina.

Napoles, who is no stranger to legal troubles, now faces an extended prison sentence of nearly a century, with a minimum of 138 years and 3 months, extending up to 150 years.

Moreover, she has been ordered to pay a substantial fine of P35 million pesos as a penalty for the misappropriated funds. Additionally, she must return an equivalent sum for the PDAF unlawfully disbursed to Baterina.

Despite facing similar charges of direct bribery and misappropriation, Salacnib Baterina was acquitted by the anti-graft court. However, the court has mandated the return of the unlawfully dispersed PDAF funds amounting to P35 million.

This conviction marks the third time this month that Janet Lim-Napoles has faced judgment from the anti-graft court for her involvement in the unlawful disbursement of PDAF funds.

In a 64-page ruling authored by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Edgardo Caldona, the court found that Napoles, in collaboration with officers from the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) and certain NGO officers, conspired to commit graft and malversation.

The court’s decision stated, “Said accused had a unified goal of releasing public funds in the form of PDAF to accused Napoles’ NGOs, KMFI and PSDFI, by consciously deviating from legal requirements and using their public positions in doing so. Their acts, inarguably malicious and partial, favored and benefited KMFI, PSDFI and themselves, to the prejudice of the government.”

For malversation, the court determined that TLRC officers, Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and Belinda Concepcion, received PDAF allocations, processed their disbursements to the NGOs, and the proceeds of the checks issued to these NGOs were received by NGO officers, Godofredo Roque and Evelyn de Leon, even though none of the projects were implemented as intended.

The court relied on various pieces of evidence, including testimonies from prosecution witness Benhur Luy and official documents of NGOs registered with the SEC, as well as records from the Social Security System (SSS) and Maxicare associated with Napoles’ Corporation.

Napoles was sentenced to a prison term ranging from 138 years and 3 months to 150 years. Concepcion and Roque were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 92 years and 2 months to 100 years, while Lacsamana and De Leon were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 46 years and 1 month to 50 years.

All five individuals were also disqualified from holding public office, and they were ordered to return P35 million to the National Treasury as a penalty for graft and pay an additional fine of the same amount for malversation.

In a surprising turn of events, Salacnib Baterina, who was accused of endorsing the release of PDAF funds to Napoles’ NGOs, Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation, Inc. and Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc., was acquitted.

The court accepted Baterina’s expert witness, who stated that his signatures in the documents were forged.

The court’s decision acknowledged the irregularities in the notarization of the memorandum of agreement and ordered Baterina to pay P25 million and P10 million, representing the amounts wrongfully disbursed.

The court found him civilly liable for failing to safeguard the proper disbursement and utilization of these funds, which supposedly allowed others to misappropriate them.

The Sandiganbayan justices Oscar Herrera, Jr. and Arthur Malabaguio dissented to Baterina’s acquittal. Herrera expressed his disagreement, stating, “I find it totally unacceptable that the amounts from Baterina’s PDAF that were misused/misappropriated…were actually released without his knowledge, involvement, and participation.”

The court also acquitted several other individuals, including Dennis Cunanan, Francisco Figura, Consuelo Espiritu, Marivic Jover, and Maurine Dimaranan, due to a lack of evidence linking them to the crimes charged. The court cited Supreme Court cases that ruled signing documents as part of standard operating procedure does not make one a conspirator in the crime.

The Sandiganbayan’s verdict offers a glimmer of hope for those seeking justice in cases of corruption, while Napoles and several others may still file a motion for reconsideration and appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.