Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante filed cyber libel and libel complaints at the Manila Prosecutors Office against the supposed bagmen of former congressman Zaldy Co who alleged that the lawmaker received cash-filled luggages from the flood control kickback scheme.
Abante strongly denied the allegations, claiming that the accusations were baseless and misleading with the sole intent of destroying his name as a public servant.
Aside from the 18 self-proclaimed bagmen, their counsel Atty. Levito “Levy” Baligod and media outlet DWSI were tagged as respondents in the criminal case as he claimed that they had some participation in the promulgation of the assertions.
“Such allegation is completely false and untrue. I vehemently deny and refute the incorrect, baseless, and misleading libelous statements in the Libelous Salaysay distributed and broadcast to the media during the Libelous Press Conference, and thereafter published on respondent DWSI’s Facebook page,” he said.
The veteran lawmaker further emphasized that the respondents deliberately decided to primarily present their accusations through a public forum instead of to authorities that could discern the facts from the submitted affidavits.
Abante stressed that the claims lacked sufficient evidence as the photos shown in the group's testimony lacked any date and time as to when they were completed and to whom they were directed.
He also pointed out various inconsistencies in statements of the bagmen that were presented during a press conference last February and the notarized affidavit that was furnished to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“This unduly and unfairly damages my reputation and casts doubt on my integrity as a duly elected official,” the solon expressed.
Abante noted that the allegations were tantamount to “a reckless disregard for truth” and that the accusations were “patently unreliable and contrived” to carry out political narratives.
