Pork scam whistleblower Benhur Luy drops Baligod as lawyer

(Updated 2:38 p.m.) Benhur Luy, the primary whistleblower in the P10-billion pork barrel scam, has severed his ties with his counsel Levito Baligod.

In a letter he signed before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday, Luy confirmed that he will no longer employ the services of Baligod in the pork scam case, GMA News' Lia Mañalac-Del Castillo reported on “Balitanghali” Tuesday.

"I have noticed you were very busy with your other advocacies," Luy stated in the letter. "That is why I have decided to pursue this journey even without you guiding me."

Luy did not give any details about Baligod's other supposed "advocacies."

The two men have shared the media spotlight for several months now, after they exposed anomalies in the use of government funds from lawmakers allegedly masterminded by trader Janet Lim-Napoles, who is currently in prison for the serious illegal detention case filed by Luy.

Baligod could not immediately be reached for comment, but Justice Secretary Leila de Lima told reporters that she was able to talk to him Monday evening. She quoted Baligod as saying that he cannot do anything if Luy no longer wants his services.

De Lima has yet to talk with Luy but she said his decision will not affect the plunder case against Napoles, three senators, and more than 30 other people accused of earning kickbacks from public funds that went to ghost projects.

She added that she does not know if there are other issues between Luy and Baligod.

Gregory Ong

The Balitanghali report said that according to a GMA News source, Luy got offended when Baligod allegedly asked him to refrain from implicating Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong in the pork barrel case.

Ong is the chairman of the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division, which acquitted Napoles in 2010 in a malversation case related to the alleged overpricing of Kevlar helmets supplied to the Philippine Marines in 1998.

Another pork scam whistleblower, Marina Sula, had attested in an affidavit that Napoles assured her of assistance from certain officials in the Sandiganbayan and the Office of the Ombudsman in "fixing" the pork barrel scam case.

In a separate affidavit, Sula identified Ong as the Sandiganbayan official mentioned by Napoles. Sula said Napoles did not mention the name of the official from the Ombudsman's office, which is currently handling the plunder case.

Sula also said she had seen Ong visit Napoles at her office at Discovery Center in Ortigas. She said she saw Ong and Napoles conversing in the office conference room.

GMA News tried to get Ong's reaction on the matter but he was not answering calls and text messages, the television report said.

In a photo published by online news outlet Rappler in August last year, Ong was shown posing with Napoles and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada at a social event.

The Supreme Court is currently investigating Ong over his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

Retired SC Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez was tapped by the High Tribunal to investigate the administrative case against Ong

New lawyers

In the letter to be sent to Baligod by the NBI, Luy thanked the lawyer for helping him and the other whistleblowers for almost a year.

“It has been a rough and rugged road for us, and for all you have done, I am eternally thankful...I would like to thank you for your time and effort in protecting my rights and representing me in my legal battles,” he said.

Baligod is also the lawyer of another whistleblower, Merlina Suñas. De Lima said she has no information if Suñas is also dropping Baligod.

Around three to four lawyers will handle Luy's case from now on, De Lima said, but she did not identify them. — Elizabeth Marcelo and Amita Legaspi/KBK/YA/KG, GMA News