Talent manager details alleged ‘honey trap’ plot vs Recto

MANILA, Philippines — The talent manager arrested in a human trafficking case has detailed the alleged “honey trap” plot targeting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, admitting that it could be characterized as “character assassination.”

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier revealed that, based on the talent manager’s affidavit, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste and former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras were allegedly involved in a plan to have four women issue fabricated statements claiming that Recto forced them to use illegal drugs and have sex with him.

The alleged agreement was in exchange for P1 million each, or P5 million in total for the talent manager and the four women.

In an interview with the INQUIRER on Wednesday, the talent manager, identified only as Alias Ken, said he met twice with Paras and lawyers—twoin the first meeting and four in the second meeting—he identified as alleged representatives of Leviste at a restaurant in Quezon City to plan the operation.

‘The VIP in honey trap’

According to the 58-year-old talent manager, Leviste is allegedly the “VIP” (very important person) in the “honey trap” plan, pointing out that the lawmaker supposedly sent the lawyers to create a “script” or fabricated statement against Recto.

He said Paras is his friend, and the lawyers introduced themselves as representatives of Leviste.

“Lagi nilang sinasabi na representative sila ni Cong. Leviste. Galing from the horses’ mouths. Galing sa bibig nila,” Ken emphasized.

(They always say they are representatives of Cong. Leviste. It comes from the horses’ mouths. It comes from their mouths.)

Meanwhile, he said Leviste’s name was mentioned as the supposed “VIP” and financier of the plot but admitted that he never met or spoke with the solon.

READ: Melvin Matibag to Leandro Leviste: ‘No one is above the law’

According to the talent manager, he believes that Paras and the lawyers were bringing up the lawmaker’s name so he would be assured he would get the money in exchange for cooperating with them.

“Lagi nilang sinasabi, ‘Hindi pa kasi nagda-drop ng fund si Cong Leviste.’ So, naririnig ko sa mga sinasabi nila along the conversation,” the talent manager said.

(They always say, ‘Cong Leviste hasn’t dropped any funds yet.’ So, I hear what they say throughout the conversation.)

“Kailangan nilang sasabihin kasi kailangan nilang i-prove yun na ang pera mangagagaling doon. Kasi wala naman silang pangdukot na sarili. Eh di sana noon pa lang binigay na nila sa amin yung pera,” he also pointed out.

(They have to say it because they need to prove the money will come from him. Because they lack the means to provide that amount of money themselves. I wish they had just given us the money.)

Ken also said that the lawyers told him that he would meet the “VIP” in person before the execution of the plan.

“One time, may mga nasabi sila na, ‘In time, makakaharap n’yo naman yung VIP,’” he said.

(One time, they said, ‘In time, you will meet the VIP.’)

‘The start of the plan’

According to Ken, Paras—who he said has been his friend since after the pandemic—first brought up the plan against Recto during their simple conversation at an event in Manila around the last week of May.

“Ang ganda naman ang proceeding niya eh: ‘Alam mo ba yung executive secretary natin? Alam natin na taxpayer ka rin. Alam mo na ang tax natin, ang lalaki, napupunta lang sa ganito, sa ganyan. Sobrang laki ng mga taxes natin pero kinokorakot lang tayo and everything. Meron kaming pinaplano. Ibubulgar lang natin yung pagkababaero niya. Ibubulgar lang natin na we heard he was into drugs’ mga ganon,” the talent manager said.

(His proceeding was beautiful: ‘Do you know our executive secretary? We know that you are a taxpayer too. You know that our taxes are big, but they only go to this and that. Our taxes are so high but they are just corrupting it and everything. We have something planned. We will just expose his womanizing. We will just expose that we heard that he was into drugs,’ those kind of things.’)

“Kaibigan ko si Jing. Nagtiwala ako sa kaniya eh, na we are safe,” he added, noting that he was hooked by the offer of P5 million for him and his four female talents.

(Jing is my friend. I trusted him that we are safe.)

Meanwhile, Ken said that after their conversation in May, he initially thought the plan would no longer proceed because they stopped conversing for two to three weeks and Paras went abroad while he stayed in the province.

The talent manager said when his communication with Paras halted, he sent a text message to Recto’s staff, who happened to be his close friend, hinting at character assassination against the executive secretary.

“Nag-text ako, sabi ko, ‘Anak, kamusta ka na? Merong mga rumors spreading all over na parang merong character assassination,” he said.

(I texted, saying, ‘Son, how are you? There are rumors spreading all over about character assassination.’)

But the talent manager said the staff did not text back. 

“Wala namang reply. So parang na-convince ako na parang, ‘Dito na may pera na, punta ka na dito’… Parang nagmukha akong pera,” he said.

(There was no reply. So it was like I was convinced, like, ‘There’s money here, come here’… It was like I looked like money.)

With this, the talent manager then said he began conversing with Paras again about the supposed modus operandi.

“Ako pa nga yung nag-message, may mga screenshots conversation kami na nasa NBI na, [sabi ko], ‘Tuloy pa ba natin ito? Huwag na siguro. Huwag na yata,’ parang gano’n. [Sabi niya], ‘Hindi, nasa abroad lang ako, matutuloy din… magkikita tayo ng July 15’,” Ken detailed.

(I was the one who sent the message, we have screenshots of our conversation that are already at the NBI, [I said], ‘Should we continue this? Maybe not. Maybe not,’ something like that. [Paras said], ‘No, I’m just abroad; We’ll proceed… we’ll meet on July 15’.)

‘Face-to-face meetings’

It was on July 15 when Ken, bringing his chosen four female artists, first met with Paras in a restaurant in Quezon City. He also said the two lawyers also joined them in the meeting.

But the talent manager said he did not take the meeting seriously since there was no real money in front of them yet and it only seemed like a mere offer.

He also said that based on the offer, Paras would allegedly receive P500,000 for “facilitating” the plot.

“Nag-alok sila ng P6 million. Tapos, ito na yung counter offer hanggang P5.5 million: P1 million goes to me, P1 million to the four girls each, diba? Yung P500,000, mapapupunta kay Cong. Jing. Sabi ko, ‘Sige, okay lang yun. Kung ikaw naman mag-facilitate ng ganon, why not, diba? Basta kami, we will play the role. But, yung safety namin, dapat i-sure mo,” he narrated.

(They offered P6 million. Then, this is the counteroffer up to P5.5 million: P1 million goes to me, P1 million to each of the four girls, right? The P500,000 goes to Cong. Jing. I said, ‘Okay, that’s okay. If you facilitate that, why not, right? As long as we will play the role. But our safety, you have to ensure it.)

“Ang tingin namin ay magiging seryoso siguro ito pag may pera na talagang nilalatag,” he said.

(We think it will be serious if there is real money involved.)

He said the two lawyers accommodated them and briefed the female artists on what they would do and say before the fiscal upon issuance and filing of their fabricated affidavits against Recto.

“Sila (lawyers) yung magpi-print out ng statement. Sila yung gagawa ng story na pwedeng i-play up ng mga girls,” Ken said.

(They [lawyers] will print out the statement. They will create a story that the girls can play up.)

“Kinukuwentuhan sila ng mga lawyers, kinukuwentuhan sila kung paano ninyo nakilala si Ralph, ganito, ganiyan, ilalatag n’yo, ganito yung scenario. It’s all scripted,” he also said.

(The lawyers are telling them stories, telling them stories about how you met Ralph, like this, like that, ‘you’ll lay it out, like this is the scenario.’ It’s all scripted.)

He also clarified that all of his four female artists never met with Recto and did not actually personally know the executive secretary.

Ken said that Paras and the lawyers, along with two additional counsels, also set a meeting with him in the same restaurant on July 26. 

He said he no longer brought the four female artists to that second meeting and questioned Paras and the lawyers about the promised money.

“Gusto kong matiyak kung magkaka-pera ba kami. May pera ba kami? Asan yung pera? Wala pa rin namang pera? Diba? Parang, ano ba to? Baka kinukuhanan lang kami ng statement or vini-video lang kami para lang ma-report nila kina Cong. Leviste. So, sabi ko, ‘huwag na tayonh mag-meeting kasi wala man lang palang offer. Wala pang yung pera,” Ken said.

(I want to make sure if we will have money. Do we have money? Where is the money? There is still no money? Right? It’s like, what is this? Maybe they are just taking our statements or videotaping us just so they can report us to Cong. Leviste. So, I said, ‘let’s not have a meeting because there is no offer yet. There is no money yet.)

“Sabi nila, ‘kaya nandito yung mga kasamahan namin kasi mayroon daw mag-encode na dapat na mga statement.’ Pero sabi ko, ‘ibigay nyo muna sa akin yung mga pinag-usapan, yung down payment and everything’,” he added.

(They said, ‘That’s why our colleagues are here because they say there are statements that need to be encoded.’ But I said, ‘First give me what was discussed, the down payment and everything.’)

With this, the talent manager and the other camp only conversed for around 30 minutes and just agreed to reschedule their meeting for the creation of the fabricated affidavit and giving the 30 percent of the P5 million on August 3.

This was the set day for the execution of the “honey trap” plot against Recto, he said.

“Nag-come up sila ng August 3, ito na yung final. May pera na, may script na. Kaso wala, na-capture na ako,” the talent manager said, pertaining to his arrest in an NBI’s entrapment operation on the evening of July 28.

(They came up on August 3, this is the final. There is money, there is a script. If there is no money, I have been captured.

The NBI-National Capital Region apprehended the talent manager and rescued five other women victims in an entrapment operation at a five-star hotel in Malate, Manila, after an undercover agent posed as a customer following the bureau’s receiving of intelligence information about the suspect’s supposed human trafficking activities.

One of the rescued victims was allegedly among the four female artists contracted in the “honey trap” plan.

READ: Talent manager busted for alleged human trafficking

The talent manager pointed out that they were not able to receive any money for the plan, even up to the time of their arrest. 

Alias Ken is currently under the custody of the NBI and is facing a qualified human trafficking complaint.

Ken said he wanted to apologize to Recto for what happened, noting, “Nabiktima lang po ako dahil nagmukha akong pera.”

(I was just a victim because I looked like money.)

Recto earlier released a statement, saying that he is letting the NBI investigate the matter.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag also said in an earlier interview that the talent manager issued an apology to Recto, adding that the probe into the alleged “character assassination” plot is ongoing.

As for Paras, the talent manager said, “Ang message ko kay Jing Paras: Pinahamak mo ang buhay ko.”

(My message to Jing Paras: You ruined my life.)

Responding to this, Paras said in a Viber message to the INQUIRER that the talent manager’s statements are “all false and perjured.”

“In due time, once we submit my answer, it will all clarify sa mga kasinungalingan,” the former lawmaker said.

(In due time, once we submit my answer, it will all clarify the lies.)

Meanwhile, Leviste has yet to respond to the INQUIRER’s query regarding his side on the matter.

The NBI recently issued subpoenas to Leviste and Paras to shed light on the allegations. Leviste is expected to appear on Thursday, while Paras’ schedule was reset to August 11 upon his request.

Both have since denied involvement in the alleged “honey trap” modus operandi.

“Wala akong kinalaman sa umano’y pambababae ni Recto sa [well-known commercial spot]. Mapapatunayang hindi ko kailanman nakausap ang sinuman sa mga taong ito—mas mabuting si Recto ang tanungin kung kilala niya sila,” Leviste recently said in a Viber message to the INQUIRER.

(I have nothing to do with Recto’s alleged womanizing at [well-known commercial spot]. It can be proven that I have never spoken to any of these people—it would be better to ask Recto if he knows them.)

“Will follow lawful procedures. Will tell the truth and debunk the lies being spread in the media at the proper venue… Everything is hearsay,” Paras told the Inquirer in a separate recent Viber message.

Meanwhile, Matibag also earlier said that the bureau would also subpoena the lawyers once they were already identified.

Leviste, no show

Leviste did not appear before the NBI on Thursday to comply with the subpoena issued to him over the “honey trap” allegation.

According to NBI – NCR Regional Director Emeterio Dongallo Jr., Leviste is scheduled to appear at 10 a.m.

READ: Melvin Matibag to Leandro Leviste: ‘No one is above the law’

“It is safe to assume na hindi na pupunta ang sinubpoena natin, si Cong. Leviste, kasi mag-alas tres na eh,” he told reporters.

(It is safe to assume that the person we subpoenaed — Cong. Leviste — will no longer show up, since it’s almost three o’clock.)

Dongallo, however, said the bureau is giving Leviste another chance to appear on Aug. 11, citing the suspension of government work this Thursday due to inclement weather.

The NBI on Wednesday granted Paras’ request to reset his appearance before the bureau to Aug. 11. /jpv /das