MANILA, Philippines – For months, Lorna Kapunan stood beside alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

She filed cases on her behalf, hit media for “unfair” reports about her client, and personally delivered food to the Makati City Jail during Napoles’ short detention there.

When Napoles testifies, however, during the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday, November 7, she will be without Kapunan’s legal backing.

Napoles earlier asked the Senate to move her scheduled testimony, saying she didn’t have a lawyer to “guard [her] rights” in the chamber’s investigation into the pork barrel scam.

For the serious illegal detention case that Napoles faces before a Makati court, she has Alfredo Villamor for counsel. According to police records, too, Villamor and two other lawyers – an Attorney Singson and Attorney Ansaldo – had visited Napoles at Fort Sto Domingo in the days leading to her Senate appearance.

He knew of Benhur’s detention

If Villamor’s name is familiar, it’s because it has been mentioned repeatedly in the testimonies of several witnesses in the serious illegal detention case. 

Benhur Luy, the main pork barrel scam whistleblower, said in both his written affidavits and testimony before court that Villamor was the first lawyer brought before him right after he was detained by Napoles and her brother Reynald Lim on Dec 19, 2012.

In fact, Villamor was present in key events during Luy’s detention, the whistleblower said.

On December 19, Villamor was at the office of Napoles’ company, JLN Corporation, at Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center. He was berating Luy for his “wrong doings.”

“Benhur, ano ba yang pinaggagawa mo. ‘Pinapakulong ka ni Jenny! Isulat mo nga mga transaction mo,” Villamor allegedly told him, hitting him on the shoulder. (Benhur, what have you been doing? Jenny [Napoles] wants you in jail! Write down all your transactions.)

According to Luy, Lim would bring along Villamor during some of his meetings. In one of those meetings, Villamor allegedly anticipated the mess Napoles and Lim are in now.

“Lagot tayo kung i-charge tayo ni Benhur ng illegal detention,” Villamor allegedly told Lim. (We’re in trouble if Benhur charges us with illegal detention.)

JLN lawyer

To say that Villamor is close to Napoles is an understatement. He was also legal counsel for JLN Corporation, Napoles’ flagship business.

Luy and several other whistleblowers who used to be part of JLN Corporation know Villamor as the lawyer of “Madame Jenny” and Jojo Lim (Reynald’s nickname).

So familiar is Villamor with Luy that when tensions rose during his testimony for Napoles’ bail plea, Villamor lightened the mood by cracking a joke. “Magkaibigan kami,” he said, referring to Luy. (We’re friends.) 

Kapunan, the resigned lawyer, knew that. “Factually, Attorney Villamor or that law firm really know Napoles, the family, the whistleblowers, the workings of the foundations and all that,” she told ANC earlier this week.

‘Spoiling the broth’

Villamor, more than Kapunan, apparently had Napoles’ ear.

“The litigation side of the serious illegal detention case brought about a breaking away from the Napoles camp,” Kapunan told ANC. Their collaboration was proof of “how too many cooks spoil the broth.”

Kapunan resigned as Napoles’ counsel on October 30, the last hearing day for Napoles’ motion for bail in the serious illegal detention case.

Villamor has  made it clear that he is only representing Napoles in the serious illegal detention case. His refusal to answer questions regarding cases or inquiries involving the pork barrel scam, in fact, frustrated GMA anchor Arnold Clavio so much, he berated the lawyer on live TV on Tuesday, November 5.

Evasive

Villamor has always been evasive with the media. During hearings before the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150, he would leave the court room as soon as the hearing is dismissed. He would pass through Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda’s office to avoid the TV cameras waiting outside the courtroom.

On the day of Kapunan’s resignation, Villamor was still uneasy talking to the press. “Ipapabalik ko si Attorney Kapunan para siya na tanungin ‘nyo,” he said in jest. (I’ll ask Attorney Kapunan to come back so you can ask her questions.)

Villamor did not directly answer questions about his “differences in strategies” with Kapunan. He only said: “Lawyers have their own strategies and maybe to us, that’s the strategy the case warrants.”

In the case of the PDAF scam, the Senate hearing should reveal if going to the probe without her trusted lawyer is part of Napoles’ strategy. – Rappler.com