(Eagle News)–Vice President Leni Robredo could not have met Peter Joemel Advincula and other opposition figures to plan the destabilization of the government on March 4 as claimed because she was in Bulacan to attend a series of events.
This is according to Robredo herself, who filed her counter-affidavit to the sedition charges filed against her in connection with the Ang Totoong Narco-list videos against President Rodrigo Duterte’s family on Thursday, Aug. 29.
According to Robredo, as some of her staff members and other individuals could attest to, she was in the province from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., far from the Leong Hall of Ateneo de Manila University where Advincula said he met her for the only time during the meeting for the destabilization plot at 4 p.m.
“It was impossible for me to be in ADMU, much less in Leong Hall, as I was attending official events held at the City of Bocaue and municipality of Bustos…the whole day of March 4, 2019. I only arrived back at Metro Manila after 6:30 in the evening on March 4, 2019 and proceeded directly to my residence,” she said.
According to Robredo, Advincula’s claim the only time he met her was that time in ADMU, also contradicted the claim of the Office of the Solicitor General, counsel for the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group that acts as complainant, that she “repeatedly met” the man who claims to be the yellow-hooded figure in the videos.
“To make it clear, I have never met Mr. Advincula. The first time I saw Mr. Advincula was in the news coverage of the press conference held at the office of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines on May 6,” she said, referring to the time Advincula first stood by the allegations he made against Duterte’s family in the video.
She said the fact that the OSG “stubbornly insists upon belatedly making this false accusation..underscores that the purported charges are aimed at hounding and oppressing me simply because I am perceived to be critical of the current administration.”
She noted that apart from the supposed meeting, “there is no other allegation of any act on my part in furtherance of the alleged crimes charged.”
“With due respect, the honorable panel should not allow this blatant abuse of processes,” she said.
Apart from Robredo, detained Senator Leila de Lima, Chel Diokno, Erin Tañada, Theodore Te, Gary Alejano and Antonio Trillanes IV, among others, are facing the sedition charges.
