MANILA STANDARD: 'Napoles had lunch at Palace before she surrendered to PNoy'

The sources refused to divulge any part of the conversations they might have overheard, just as Malacañang has refused to disclose the content of the "warm and pleasant" exchange that took place between Aquino and Napoles during her "formal surrender." But they raised a number of questions about the President's actual role and involvement in the Napoles affair.

MANILA STANDARD: 'Napoles had lunch at Palace before she surrendered to PNoy'

Assuming every detail to be correct, Lacierda's narrative does not conflict with the hit her to unreported six-hour meeting; it is but a sequel to the unexplained and inexplicable meeting in the morning. But Malacañang had gone to great lengths to make it appear that Napoles had not been there before her appearance that evening, and that she took not more than 10 minutes to "surrender."

MANILA STANDARD: 'Napoles had lunch at Palace before she surrendered to PNoy'

At lunch time, food was brought in by a secretary rather that the regular Malacañang waiters, and Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras joined the meeting. He was followed by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad at around 1 pm, and Ochoa a few minutes later. Between 2 pm and 3:30 pm, Aquino stepped out three times to meet some officials callers, then finally left for an unknown destination. At 4:30 pm, the meeting ended, and Lacierda left with Napoles, destination unknown.

MANILA STANDARD: 'Napoles had lunch at Palace before she surrendered to PNoy'

However, highly critical sources said the official narrative completely omitted the most important part- Napoles's nearly day-long "closed-door session" with Aquino, Roxas and other Cabinet members.
According the these sources, Napoles arrived at 10:30 am, all by herself, without her lawyer, but accompanied by Lacierda alone, who happens to be a lawyer. She was immediately conducted to what is known as the "Music Room" or "Ready Room" where she remained closeted with Aquino, Roxas and the Malacanang spokesman for the next six hours.

MANILA STANDARD: KIT TATAD - 'Napoles had lunch at Palace before she surrendered to Pnoy'

- Contrary to what the nation and the rest of the world have been led to believe, President Benigno S. Aquino III spent several hours in "closed-door conversations" with Janet Lim Napoles, the suspected mastermind in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam involving selected opposition lawmakers, before showcasing to media her formal "surrender" to "the only person she trusted," on the evening of August 28, 2013, authoritative sources have revealed. This incredible detail was completely left out of Malacanang's official statement, which had sought to present Aquino's meeting with Napoles as no more that a 10-minute affair that ended an otherwise fruitless manhunt of a celebrated fugitive from justice, and was witnessed by several Cabinet members and duly recorded for posterity by the Malacanang press office.

The yellow media and the palace are now masterminding (again for the nth time) in diverting the pork issue after a series of cover up of pnoy-napoles-ochoa-yamsuan connection. Now that the public knows that napoles is well connected with pnoy himself and his administration, - COA, DBM, DOJ, and Ombudsman now in panic mode to divert the issue by pinning the blame of malampaya fund to their usual punching bag former Pres. GMA. Expect that COA reports will just center on GMA's term and omit 2010-2013. Pls note the unusual silence of SWS and Pulse Asia. They should ask now their respondents this question: are  they in favor of pnoy receiving napoles at malacanang and escorting her to pnp" Do they believe that napoles is not an acquaintance of top palace officials and their allies?