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Ex-TRC chief Dennis Cunanan to spill the beans on ‘pork’ scam — lawyer
(Updated 9:02 p.m.) After Ruby Tuason, another respondent in the pork barrel scam case has expressed willingness to testify as state witness.
In an exclusive interview with GMA News, lawyer Levito Baligod, legal counsel of the whistleblowers in the scam, said Dennis Cunanan, former director general of Technology Resource Center (TRC), has applied to be a state witness as early as last year.
"Meron siyang standing na application na maging state witness. Matagal na ito, last year pa actually, at naniniwala ako na base sa nilalaman ng kanyang affidavit na isinumite ay maku-qualify siya," Baligod said in the interview aired on "24 Oras."
"Kasi nakita ko rin yung affidavit nung ibang whistleblowers kagaya nila Simonette Briones, Marina Sula at Arlene Baltazar. Kung ikumpara mo yung bigat ng ebidensya na nilalaman ng affidavits ng tatlong ito [ay] mas mabigat pa yung nilalaman ng affidavit ni Dennis Cunanan," he added.
Baligod said Cunanan is ready to belie the claims of Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. that he did not benefit from the scam.
As early as last year, Revilla claimed that his and his representatives' signatures were forged by the aides of now detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.
"Ire-refute ni Dennis yung sinasabi ni Sen. Revilla na siya ay walang kinalaman dun sa pag-implement ng kanyang PDAF. Sinasabi nitong si Dennis Cunanan na may mga pagkakataon na si Sen. Revilla mismo ang nakakausap niya. Kinukumpirma niya (Revilla) yung pirma dun sa endorsement letter na nagpapabor sa mga NGOs (non-government organizations) ni Ginang Napoles," Baligod said.
Baligod said Cunanan even recalled one instance when Revilla allegedly scolded him for the slow processing of his endorsement letters to channel his PDAF — or Priority Development Assistance Fund, the formal name of pork barrel — to Napoles' bogus NGOs.
"Kaya walang ginawang iba yung opisina niya (Cunanan) nung siya ang OIC director general [of the TRC] kundi i-process yung request ni Senator Revilla the whole day at nag overnight pa sila on a December 23 dahil lang doon sa pinagalitan siya ni Sen. Revilla dahil mabagal daw yung pag proseso nila," Baligod said.
Cunanan, Tuason and Revilla are respondents in a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the scam.
Aside from them, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, as well as several former lawmakers and heads of government agencies, were implicated in the anomaly. — Elizabeth Marcelo/KBK/ELR, GMA News
In an exclusive interview with GMA News, lawyer Levito Baligod, legal counsel of the whistleblowers in the scam, said Dennis Cunanan, former director general of Technology Resource Center (TRC), has applied to be a state witness as early as last year.
"Meron siyang standing na application na maging state witness. Matagal na ito, last year pa actually, at naniniwala ako na base sa nilalaman ng kanyang affidavit na isinumite ay maku-qualify siya," Baligod said in the interview aired on "24 Oras."
"Kasi nakita ko rin yung affidavit nung ibang whistleblowers kagaya nila Simonette Briones, Marina Sula at Arlene Baltazar. Kung ikumpara mo yung bigat ng ebidensya na nilalaman ng affidavits ng tatlong ito [ay] mas mabigat pa yung nilalaman ng affidavit ni Dennis Cunanan," he added.
Baligod said Cunanan is ready to belie the claims of Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. that he did not benefit from the scam.
As early as last year, Revilla claimed that his and his representatives' signatures were forged by the aides of now detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.
"Ire-refute ni Dennis yung sinasabi ni Sen. Revilla na siya ay walang kinalaman dun sa pag-implement ng kanyang PDAF. Sinasabi nitong si Dennis Cunanan na may mga pagkakataon na si Sen. Revilla mismo ang nakakausap niya. Kinukumpirma niya (Revilla) yung pirma dun sa endorsement letter na nagpapabor sa mga NGOs (non-government organizations) ni Ginang Napoles," Baligod said.
Baligod said Cunanan even recalled one instance when Revilla allegedly scolded him for the slow processing of his endorsement letters to channel his PDAF — or Priority Development Assistance Fund, the formal name of pork barrel — to Napoles' bogus NGOs.
"Kaya walang ginawang iba yung opisina niya (Cunanan) nung siya ang OIC director general [of the TRC] kundi i-process yung request ni Senator Revilla the whole day at nag overnight pa sila on a December 23 dahil lang doon sa pinagalitan siya ni Sen. Revilla dahil mabagal daw yung pag proseso nila," Baligod said.
Meanwhile, Atty. Joel Bodegon, legal counsel of Revilla, dismissed Cunanan's affidavit, calling it a "desperate move" on the part of the whistleblowers' camp.
"Yan ay isang desperate move nila kasi hindi nga nila makuha si Atty. (Richard) Cambe, 'yung staff ni Sen. Revilla upang maging whistleblower din tulad ng ginawa nila kay Ginang Ruby Tuason," Baligod said in a phone patch interview aired on "State of the Nation".
"Hindi kapanipaniwala (Cunanan's affidavit)kasi unang una, eh respondent 'yang si Dennis Cunanan na 'yan sa kasong inihain na mismo ng Ombudsman," Bodegon added.
Cunanan, Tuason and Revilla are respondents in a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the scam.
Aside from them, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, as well as several former lawmakers and heads of government agencies, were implicated in the anomaly. — Elizabeth Marcelo/KBK/ELR, GMA News
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