Miriam hits ‘psywar ops’ in pork scam

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that “there is a vast, costly and sinister disinformation operation” to compel the Office of the Ombudsman to grant the motions for reconsideration of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon Revilla Jr. who have found liable for plunder in the pork barrel scam.

“The principals in this massive psy-war operation are: Sen. Enrile; his former chief of staff Gigi Reyes; and Enrile’s ally and attack dog Panfilo Lacson,” Santiago said in a commencement speech yesterday at the Lyceum University-Laguna.

“Enrile, 90, is facing suspension from office as senator, and imprisonment in a detention cell while facing trial. He is desperate to prevent the ombudsman from filing the case against him in court,” Santiago said.

She said that this “trinity of unholy conspirators” includes former senator Lacson and Reyes, because both were granted safe haven in Enrile’s hometown in Cagayan.

Lacson was a fugitive from justice who was never punished by the court when he finally appeared.

“Where is Reyes? Nobody knows. Why would Lacson come forward with a spurious document, one month after he claims that it was handed to him?” Santiago said.

Santiago said that Lacson’s claims are “so full of holes that it’s like a sieve.”

She said it is “incredible” that while the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles’ family could have easily contacted other government officials close to President Aquino, Lacson claims that only he was approached, although he is no longer a senator, but one of many presidential assistants.

The senator warned the public, particularly in Metro Manila, to “keep your composure and remain level-headed” during what she claims will turn out to be a “massive psy-war disinformation campaign using pork barrel kickbacks.”

She said the aim of the psy-war campaign is to discredit the Aquino administration, and distract public attention away from the trial and prosecution of those charged with plunder.

“This is a diversionary tactic, very similar to the so-called Zamboanga uprising. Both are bankrolled heavily, because they are intended to forcibly turn public attention away from the criminal culpability of those charged with plunder. For the respondents, this is a desperate make-or-break situation,” she said.