Bulacan 6th District Rep. Salvador Pleyto on Friday denied accusations linking him to alleged “remittances” from the Discaya couple, who are involved in the flood control scandal.
The lawmaker issued his statement following remarks from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who on Thursday cited an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report naming Pleyto among individuals who supposedly received funds from the controversial couple.
“It has come to my attention, the recent interview of Omb. Crispin Remulla citing an AMLC report allegedly linking my name as one of the individuals who received ‘remittances’ from the Discayas prior to me being elected as congressman,” Pleyto said in a statement.
“I strongly condemn these accusations and insinuations against me,” he emphasized.
Pleyto said he is willing to cooperate with the AMLC or other competent authorities to clear his name. He also urged the public to refrain from spreading misinformation that could harm his reputation.
“I urge the public to refrain from drawing conclusions or spreading unverified information that may cause undue harm to my personal reputation, both as a private person and a public servant,” he said.
Aside from Pleyto, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Edvic Yap were also tagged by the Ombudsman as persons of interest in the flood control scandal.
Remulla said Eric Yap was identified as a beneficial owner of Silverwolves Construction Corporation, which received P89.7 million worth of projects in La Union.
“They are siblings, Eric and Edvic Yap. We already obtained a money transmittal from the AMLC going to Edvic Yap. So, we saw a clear pattern that they really have a connection to the contracts, because the money transmittal came from Discaya,” Remulla said.
“The other one is Salvador Pleyto, congressman for Bulacan, who was included in the remittance from Discaya that was flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council,” he added.