‘Publicists out to disparage Davide, family’

Former undersecretary of justice Ramon Esguerra, a member of the defense panel of Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., revealed yesterday that "there is a well-funded group of publicists and media men designing a character assassination program against the Chief Justice and his family."

Esguerra said that this "well funded menace of destruction will continue to use repeated falsehood" and will stop only when Davide is removed from office.

Although the articles of impeachment have been aborted in the House of Representatives, Davide’s defense panel has not been officially disbanded by the Chief Justice.

The panel is composed of lead counsel dean Antonio Tupaz, Leonard de Vera, former UP Law dean Froilan M. Bacungan, former election commissioner Ruben Agpalo, Florencio Orendain, former constitutional convention delegate Ricardo Sagmit, Hilario Davide III and Esguerra.

Sagmit urged court employees to get the facts about the Judiciary Development Fund from the Commission on Audit instead of screaming in the streets or before the media.