Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Sen. Grace Poe. (Photo by LYN RILLON/Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Name your sources.
Senator Grace Poe issued this challenge on Monday to lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, who disclosed an alleged P200-million bribe to senators in exchange for Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s acquittal should the impeachment bid against her reach the Senate.
READ: Gadon bares ‘bribery plan’ to acquit Sereno; CJ camp calls it ‘another big lie’
“Unang una-hindi totoo. Sa akin, hindi totoo yun. Walang lumalapit para makapag-usap,” Poe told reporters when asked for comment on Gadon’s allegation.
“At sa tingin ko, ang ating mga kabaayan ay nagbabantay dito. Makikita ang pagkikilos namin. Hindi magtatagumpay yan kung yan ang basehan kasi ang dapat talagang makita ay ang merito ng kaso at kung may katotohanan dito,” she said, referring to the impeachment complaint filed by the lawyer against Sereno.
“Hindi pera ito at ako personally, lalabanan ko kung sino man ang gagawa ng mga bagay na ganyan for or against dahil hindi nararapat,” the senator added.
Gadon, she said, should name the sources of his bribe allegation.
“Unang-una, ang dami na nyang mga inconsistencies tapos ilalabas pa nya yan,” Poe said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, in a separate interview, said he would also ask Gadon to reveal his sources once the latter’s impeachment complaint against Sereno reaches the Senate for trial.
“Pagdating niya rito we’ll ask him kung sino tinutukoy niyang mga senador. Sino ang nagsabi sa kanya, saan niya nabalitaan. Sa ngayon ayoko pa maniwala sa kanya,” Lacson said.
He dismissed Gadon’s bribery allegation as “pure hearsay” just like his testimony in the House of Representatives.