Cunanan ready for ‘pork’ scam grilling—Palace

Dennis Cunanan. From https://dgdenniscunanan.com

MANILA, Philippines—Going up against the tide of public opinion, Malacañang said that former Technology Resource Center head Dennis Cunanan is ready to face the Senate probe on the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that Cunanan is ready to clear his name from the scam and prove his worth as a provisional state witness.

“He is prepared to face off whatsoever, whatever accusations there are, and he is prepared to clear his name,” Lacierda said Monday in a media briefing after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima assured that Cunanan cleared his actions during his tenure at the TRC.

Lacierda said that the evaluation of Cunanan is part of the process of selecting a state witness as the DOJ also screened whistle-blowers Benhur Luy and Ruby Tuason before they were allowed to face the Senate.

“As Secretary Leila de Lima already said, Mr. Cunanan is prepared to face any questions on his role as TRC director, including the latest revelations that came out,” Lacierda said.

Cunanan is one of the respondents in the PDAF scam and claimed that Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, and Ramon “Bong” Revilla would regularly call him regarding their transactions.

The new state witness estimated, according to a previous report published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, that P600 million in lawmakers’ money were coursed through the TRC.

On choosing witnesses, Lacierda said that the Palace does not give directives on who should climb the witness stand as the Department of Justice is tasked with the responsibility of choosing the witnesses.

“I think the Palace will defer to the Department of Justice as to the evaluation of each and every person who comes up and volunteers to testify as a witness,” Lacierda said.

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