Llamas denies pressuring INC, Cuevas

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential political adviser Ronald Llamas denied yesterday being Malacañang’s emissary in pressuring the Iglesia ni Cristo to make retired Supreme Court associate justice Serafin Cuevas withdraw as lead defense counsel of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In a statement, Llamas said no emissary from Malacañang had exerted pressure on Justice Cuevas or the Iglesia ni Cristo.

“Cuevas initially claimed the emissary was a former student of his,” he said. “Then another source from their camp identified me as the alleged emissary. I was never a student of Cuevas, so how I can be that emissary?”

Llamas said the Coronas’ purchase of discounted condominium units and lands and their undervaluation and/or nondisclosure in Corona’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth “should be enough to convict him many times over.”

“It’s funny how the Corona propagandists are now tripping over one another with the lies they are trying to peddle to the public to divert attention from the damning pieces of evidence being unearthed against Corona,” he said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the issue was a bit peculiar, where you have a person supposedly identified as the one exerting pressure, and the person allegedly being pressured has denied being pressured.

“So we really are at a loss on how to comment on this particular issue and until and when it is resolved between the former justice Cuevas and the media agency that has reported the story, we will hold further comment apart from the one that we gave (Monday),” she said.

Valte said she would not know the intention of Cuevas for coming out with a story and then denying it.

“What is important is what is going on inside and during the proceedings themselves,” she said.

They are not into dirty tricks or black propaganda to win the impeachment case before the bar of public opinion, Valte said.