A Visayas congressman admitted yesterday that he has no evidence to prove his claim that College Assurance Plan (CAP) had lent P1 billion to the builder-operator of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) along Edsa.
In an interview with dzMM's Noli de Castro, Rep. Jacinto Paras (LAMP, Negros Oriental) said all he has is the information he received from a reliable informant about the supposed loan.
He refused to name his informant.
CAP has denied that it lent money to a consortium led by Fil-Estate that is building and operating the MRT project, or to any of its member-companies.
It labeled Paras' accusation as baseless.
In the dzMM interview, the Negros Oriental lawmaker conceded that his claim was indeed unfair to CAP. "But it's part of the game," he said.
He said if the allegation turns out to be false, it would still benefit CAP in the sense that it would have clarified rumors about its supposed P1-billion loan to the MRT consortium.
He added that the House committee looking into the MRT project has invited CAP president Enrique Sobrepeña Jr. three times to explain the alleged loan but that Sobrepeña has not so far honored any of the invitations.
Interviewed later by the same radio station, the CAP official lamented that Paras did not even bother to check with him or any official of his company before making public his allegation.
He said had the congressman verified the information he received, he would have discovered that CAP did not lend money to any MRT company.
CAP funds are deposited with five trustee-banks which make their owns decisions on how to invest the money, he said.
He did not discount the possibility that the banks may have invested in the MRT project.
Sobrepeña denied that he was invited by any House committee to shed light on the supposed CAP loan to the MRT consortium.
Asked by De Castro about Paras' statement that the unfairness of his allegation "is part of the game," the CAP official said: "To him, it could be a game. But to us professional businessmen, it is a serious matter."
He said he would consider filing a complaint against Paras before the House ethics committee.
Commenting on the Visayas lawmaker's admission that he has no evidence against CAP, Deputy Speaker Daisy Fuentes said lawmakers should be more responsible in making claims and accusations to avoid unnecessarily damaging the reputation of persons, companies and other entities.
She said members of Congress should not hide behind their parliamentary immunity.
She said senators and congressmen should not make reckless and irresponsible accusations especially at a time when the nation has had to contend with a massive capital flight because of the BW (Best World Resources Corp.) stock manipulation scandal.
Fuentes, however, said the House would not, on its own, investigate Paras in the absence of a complaint.