Women in our lives

“Let a woman in your life, / And you invite eternal strife,” That’s lifted   from a song in the 1956 Broadway smash hit: “My Fair Lady”. Prof. Henry Higgins gives speech lessons to Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, so she could masquerade as a well-born lady.  

So, did  then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile invite conflict in his choice of  Atty. Jessica Lucila "Gigi" Reyes to serve as his chief of staff?  She quit after a controversy erupted over Christmas bonuses handed out to senators by Enrile.

Since then, Sen. Miriam Santiago urged the Justice Department Secretary to look into use of the names of Reyes—and her family in disbursement of P5.1 billion in public funds “into the Cagayan Freeport and breakwater project in Port Irene—Enrile’s home turf.  

The project “was awarded to Sta. Elena Construction with links to Sta. Ana Builders where the board of directors include Reyes’ family.  Neal Jose Gonzales, Ms Gigi’s brother is chairman of Sta. Fe Builders. Reyes’ mother is Maria Cooper who is a board member.  Clearly, this “shows Enrile’s thumbprint,” Santiago asserts.

Enrile scoffed at claims he is “romantically linked” to Reyes. That’d have been fine—if he ended there. Instead, Enrile pandered to the macho crowd. May asim pa, the 89-year old said with a wink. Loosely translated, that means his libido is just fine, thank you. That only spurred the rumor mills.

Secretary De Lima transmitted Santiago’s charge to a joint NBI and Justice fact-finding team. It is led by Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano.

Sorry. But Ms Gigi won’t be there for the probe. She stopped answering her phone after quitting. And she flew to Macau, alone with two bags, on Cebu Pacific flight 5J362.  Bureau of Immigration records show. She had a return flight booked two days later. But she vanished and didn’t leave a forwarding address. The chiefs of staff of some senators suddenly took leave, too.

Isn’t that a reprise of the Dec. 14, 2000, hearing of the impeachment case against President Joseph Estrada? Witness Maria Carmencita Itchon testified   that she checked jueteng collections. The P6-million batches came from Jinggoy Estrada, known “Jingle Bells,” witnesses told   the Senate. These were handed to Erap’s accountant-auditor: Yolanda Ricaforte—who has since fled the country.

Was it just happenstance that by then, the 10^th whistle-blower surfaced and admitted: He drove a Napoles courier and saw him ladle bundles of cash, from a duffel bag, in front of “Attorney Gigi.” Cash boodles were unloaded in Reyes’ residence, between 2009 and 2011, Merlina Sunas alleged. “There was no one else in the living room… I stood at the door and from there I could see.”   

"Ang porsiyento naman ni Atty. Gigi Reyes ay pinapadala ni Madame Jenny kay Fernando Ramirez o kay John Raymund de Asis sa bahay ni Atty. Reyes mismo." [The commission of Atty. Gigi Reyes was given by Madame Jenny (Napoles) to Fernando Ramirez or John Raymund de Asis to be delivered to the house of Atty. Reyes herself.]

Which residence? Investigative reporter Chay Hofilena has documented that by 2012, Reyes’ real estate property acquisitions totalled about P50.86 million. These are reflected in her Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

“These covered 10 residential properties, including two houses in Matuod, Lian, Batangas and the house and lot in La Vista. Of the 10 listed items four are lots all located in Matuod, Lian, Batangas. The 10 real property assets are identical to her listing in 2011, Hofilena asked: How did Reyes do that with a salary of just over a million pesos a year?

In 2010, she built a house also in Batangas worth P1.5 million. Basta? No sir. She then bought a residential condominium unit and parking space at Fairways Towers in Taguig worth P6.45 million.

In 2011, she had a net worth of P29.36 million “(That was) more than double her net worth in 2004, which is Reyes’ earliest SALN on record with the Civil Service Commission.

In 2004, when she was already Enrile’s chief of staff, Reyes had a net worth of P12.8 million and two properties: a house and lot in La Vista bought for P2.5 million in 2002, and a residential lot in South Ridge Subdivision in Tagaytay worth P1.4 million.

“Besides the vehicles and her P3-million time deposit, the next big item in her personal properties list for 2012 was jewelry worth P3 million,” Hofilena wrote. “Among her weaknesses, said those who know her, are jewelry and designer bags.”

Reyes was also acknowledged to be influential. Long-time employees at the Senate said that when Enrile was Senate president and she was chief of staff, permanent positions needed her approval. "Kung hindi ka malakas, hindi mo makukuha ang position," one former employee said. [If you were not favored by her, you wouldn't get the position.]

Ms Gigi reacted when Enrile's lawyer Enrique dela Cruz said the Senate president “never authorized anyone to enter into an illegal transaction. If they did, they should be held responsible.” On Facebook she snapped:  “the worst blow has just been dealt upon me by no less than the camp of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, the man I served with full dedication, honesty and loyalty for 25 years.” 

“I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling / Than to ever let a woman in my life,” Professor Higgins sang in “My Fair Lady”.