Ex-Luy lawyer denies alleged bribes from Aquino allies

MANILA, Philippines — Former pork barrel scam whistleblower counsel Levito Baligod on Wednesday denied all of the accusations hurled at him after being dropped from the case.

Baligod said that the most serious claim was that he accepted bribes from administration lawmakers to selectively expose Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. in the controversy.

The lawyer also denied that he is concealing the alleged involvement of President Benigno Aquino III's allies in the embezzling of billions in government funds, particularly the senators' pork barrel.

Related: Baligod: Noy allies, opposition seeking control of whistleblowers

"Iyan ay mabigat na akusasyon at pinapasinungalingan ko 'yan," he said in an interview with radio dzMM on Wednesday. "Hindi ako [ang] nagku-control kung sino ang kakasuhan at hindi."

The lawyer explained that the Department of Justice's (DOJ) investigation on the scam is, for now, focused on the embezzling of funds from the 2007 to 2009 pork barrel fund allocations for members of Congress.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had said that she asked Baligod and the whistleblowers not to withhold any information even if these are against the allies of the Aquino administration.

In the second batch of respondents in the pork barrel fund scam in connection with the Malampaya funds, former Customs commissioner Ruffy Biazon was charged with malversation of public funds.

Baligod said that De Lima or the administration did not pressure him and the whistleblowers to implicate the personalities who have been named as respondents in the pork barrel case.

"Wala pong pressure kahit kaninuman na kontrolin kami kung sino ang dapat kasuhan at sino ang hindi," Baligod said.

De Lima said on Tuesday that Luy dismissed Baligod due to his "divided attention" and lack of focus on the pork scam case.

"I have noticed that you were very busy with your other advocacies that is why I have decided to pursue this journey even without you guiding me,” Luy told Baligod in a letter released by the DOJ.

The lawyer, however, will still represent the other whistleblowers such as Merlina Suñas, who worked for Napoles' JLN Corporation and facilitated transactions with government officials and lawmakers.

Read: Whistle-blower Luy drops lawyer for divided attention

Baligod himself had filed plunder charges against the senators in connection with the funds scam in 2013.