Did Abaya lie to the President?

DID DOTC Secretary Joseph EA Abaya lie to the President to clear the way for the release of the P1 billion out of the P4.2 billion held in escrow in favor of Stradcom in January this year? Or did Abaya merely act out of ignorance of the pending interpleader case in the Quezon City special Commercial Court?

The P1 billion in escrow account was released in January 2013 by Land Bank to Stradcom’s Quiambao group following instructions from Land Transportation Office Chief Virginia Torres. Her order to unfreeze the P1billion however was based on two separate memoranda from Secretary Jun Abaya and Undersecretary Perpetuo Lotilla instructing her to unlock the escrowed account.