4 lawyers summoned over plot vs Recto

MANILA, Philippines — The four lawyers being summoned by the National Bureau of Investigation to explain the alleged “honeytrap” plot against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto belong to a big law firm based in Ortigas in Pasig, according to NBI Director Melvin Matibag.

These lawyers, Matibag added, allegedly helped the women contracted by a talent manager, at the behest of former Cabinet official Jing Paras and Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste, with their “scripts” to implicate Recto in human trafficking and illegal drug use.

“This is a big law office and their clients have big personalities,” Matibag told the Saturday News Forum.

“The problem is that the two lawyers involved are already known. They are senior partners. Actually, they are named partners. The other two are pitiful because they’re new lawyers,” he added.

Matibag said one of Leviste’s legal counsels also hails from this firm, which raises a “red flag.” That lawyer just passed the Bar exams last year.

The NBI will issue the subpoenas tomorrow and the lawyers will be required to appear before the bureau on Aug. 14.

The “honeytrap” plot was discovered after the talent manager, known by his alias “Ken,” was arrested by operatives of the NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) division in a separate human trafficking operation involving five women.

Ken admitted during questioning that he and Paras were hatching a plan since May to lure Recto into illicit affairs with four women. The talent manager said Leviste was prepared to finance the operation with P5 million for each participant.

In his affidavit, Ken said Paras told him Recto was being targeted over “local politics.” The executive secretary and Leviste both hail from Batangas.

Paras also told Ken that Recto is a “bad person” for plundering government coffers, thus, the “honeytrap” plot.

“We can’t deny that our executive secretary is primus inter pares, the little president. Anything that will create a black eye or a stigma to the executive secretary will somehow affect the entire administration. That’s an angle we’re looking at,” Matibag said.