TRC chief wants to turn state witness

MANILA, Philippines - General manager Dennis Cunanan of the Technology Resource Center (TRC) is ready to talk and wants to turn state witness in the pork barrel scam.

The TRC was tagged as one of the government agencies linked to the bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Cunanan surfaced at the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday and said that he is open to becoming a witness in the case.

Cunanan said he submitted an affidavit to the bureau and other pertinent documents in order to clear his name.

“We’re facing the whole case and we showed the documents we have,” Cunanan told reporters.

Among the documents he submitted was a memorandum, which he issued in 2010, barring the TRC from entering into agreements with 44 suspected anomalous NGOs that were used as conduits for the pork barrel funds or Priority Development Assitance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.

These included those that belonged to Napoles.

But according to Cunanan, at the time he didn’t know that some of these NGOs were linked to the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind.

Earlier this month, the NBI recommended either plunder or malversation charges against Cunanan.

Cunanan was saddened by the news that he was charged because he even provided the special audit team of the Commission on Audit with a copy of the list of NGOs as early as 2010.