MANILA, Philippines — National Security Adviser Eduardo Año filed criminal charges against former representative Mike Defensor, lawyer Levi Baligod, and 18 former Marines over what he described as “malicious imputations” and fabricated allegations linking him to an alleged paper bag money exchange. The respondents were charged by Año with unlawful means of publication and unlawful utterances before the Department of Justice on Wednesday. Año said that the filing of charges marked only the first legal action he intended to pursue against those he believed orchestrated the accusations. "I was really surprised. And of course you can say I am really mad with their malicious imputations. Never in my life would I do that. That's why I'm going after them. This is just the first case," he said. Año also denied allegations that he received money through paper bags, stressing that such accusations run contrary to his decades of service in the military and government.