Janet Lim Napoles and Atty. Lorna Kapunan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Lawyer Lorna Kapunan on Wednesday appealed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer to dig deeper and uncover the real mastermind behind the pork barrel racket and a supposed “high-level tri-media campaign” against her client Janet Lim-Napoles.
In an interview on Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Kapunan blasted the PDI for allegedly “mind-conditioning” the public that Napoles is guilty of orchestrating the conversion of P10-billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) into kickbacks for lawmakers and dummy foundations.
“I think we should find who is financing this high-level tri-media campaign. Because this is relentless. In print, in radio, in TV,” she said, adding that many issues had already cropped up but “Inquirer’s headline is still Napoles.”
“Whoever is funding this campaign wants the investigation to go farther from him or her,” she said.
Asked if she had any idea on who this is, Kapunan named “a certain Dante Ang” who she said was the public relations officer of former first gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo.
She also mentioned Maya Santos, who was assistant secretary at the Department of Agriculture and reportedly in charge of Finance and Administration.
“Interpol should look for her instead. Because she is the one signing the checks at the Department of Agriculture,” Kapunan said.
“That’s where all the scams involving agriculture started.”
Kapunan said that several people are probably “orchestrating this relentless media campaign” and that Ang and Santos are among them.
She challenged PDI to check the names mentioned in their reports and those that were allegedly left out.
“It’s becoming obvious why these senators and congressmen are being mentioned and why others are like sacred cows that are not mentioned at all,” Kapunan said.
During the interview, Kapunan accused PDI of reckless reporting, “You reporters do not mind if you are sued for libel. Maybe these people are receiving [large amounts of money].”
The lawyer said they have already written to PDI’s ombudsman.
“I think it is time that your own ombudsman does its own fact-finding investigation…There are four individuals that we have named,” she told Radyo Inquirer.