National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Atty. Melvin Matibag clarified Tuesday that the alleged involvement of Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste in a supposed plot to discredit Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has yet to be confirmed.

In a radio interview, Matibag said some media reports had misinterpreted the direction of the investigation.

"I just want to set the record straight because some reports are heading in the wrong direction. People seem to think that the five women who were spoken to were being set up to be brought to the Executive Secretary. That's not what happened," he said.

Routine operation

Matibag explained that the case originally stemmed from a routine human trafficking operation.

He said the NBI conducted an entrapment operation against a talent manager who had been under surveillance for allegedly supplying women to paying clients, including high-profile individuals.

The suspect, identified as Lito De Guzman, was arrested at a luxury hotel after allegedly being caught in the act during the transaction.

"The suspect was caught in an entrapment operation at an exclusive five-star, high-end hotel. After the arrest, the suspect was taken to the NCR Regional Office. During the investigation, the suspect denied any wrongdoing, saying, 'I didn't do anything,'" Matibag said.

During questioning, the suspect allegedly denied committing any crime and blurted out that "the arrest may be related to their plan with Ralph Recto."

"That's how our routine operation unfolded. It turned out there was something much deeper going on," Matibag said.

Bigger case emerges

One of the five women found at the scene allegedly corroborated the talent manager's claim.

According to Matibag, the woman said former congressman Jing Paras allegedly met them at a restaurant in Quezon City and instructed them to help damage Recto's reputation.

They were allegedly asked to prepare affidavits, testimonies, and accusations against the Executive Secretary.

Matibag clarified that, contrary to speculation, the alleged plan did not involve luring Recto into a compromising situation with the women. Instead, the supposed scheme was to fabricate allegations and publicly accuse him.

"What was supposed to happen was that they would file a case. They would come up with a story, prepare a sworn statement, file that affidavit with the prosecutor's office, and then hold a press conference. That way, they would already have enough material to damage him," he said.

"Let me clarify this. The person who has direct testimony, whose account has been corroborated, and who positively identified the individual he spoke with—and who was present there with lawyers already on hand to prepare the affidavit—is Congressman Jing Paras," Matibag added.

Leviste's alleged involvement

Matibag said investigators later learned that none of the witnesses had personally met Leviste and that his name was mentioned only by Paras.

"It was Congressman Paras who mentioned him. According to him, Congressman Leviste would finance what they were planning to do," he said.

"That's why I'm being very careful with my statements regarding Leviste. At this point, what we have is still hearsay based on the testimonies of the two witnesses because they only heard Congressman Paras mention his name. That means Congressman Jing Paras is the one who can clarify this," he added.

Matibag said he was surprised by Leviste's defensive response despite his earlier clarification of the issue.

He also emphasized that the subpoena issued to the lawmaker does not imply guilt but merely seeks his cooperation and assistance in clarifying the matter as part of the NBI's ongoing investigation.