DUMAGUETE CITY — The legal team of former Negros Oriental 1st District Representative Jacinto "Jing" Paras, a native of Guihulngan City, has flatly rejected a circulating affidavit linking the ex-lawmaker to an alleged scheme to frame Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, calling the document's spread "a malicious attempt to malign and convict our client through public opinion rather than through the rule of law."
In an official press statement released on behalf of Paras, Atty. Mark Kristopher Tolentino of MKT Law said the affidavit "contains nothing more than the untested allegations" of its affiants and cautioned that such a document "is merely a statement of allegations — it is not proof of its own truth."
Lawyer Flags Handwritten Alterations on Document
Tolentino said the affidavit must first be authenticated, survive due process, and be supported by "competent, credible, and independent evidence" before it can carry any evidentiary weight. He further pointed to "visible handwritten alterations, insertions, and deletions" on the circulating version of the document as grounds for questioning its integrity and reliability.
The lawyer also challenged the credibility of the affiants, arguing that individuals allegedly involved in procuring women for prostitution, or in prostitution itself, "cannot simply be accepted at face value" and that their claims require independent corroboration and "heightened judicial scrutiny," according to the MKT Law statement.
Law Firm Warns of Libel, Cybercrime Liability
Tolentino warned that publishing or republishing the affidavit — which he described as unverified and containing defamatory imputations — is "libelous in character" and may expose those responsible to liability under the Cybercrime Prevention Act when distributed through online platforms, subject to court determination.
"Freedom of expression is a constitutional right, but it is not a license to maliciously destroy another person's reputation through trial by publicity," the statement read.
MKT Law said it is now evaluating "all available civil, criminal, and administrative remedies" against those responsible for the publication and dissemination of the materials.
Camp Invokes Revised Penal Code on Conspiracy
The statement argued that Philippine criminal law punishes overt criminal acts — not "suspicions, speculation, preliminary discussions, or an alleged plan that was never implemented." Under the Revised Penal Code, the statement noted, mere preparation, proposal, or conspiracy is generally not punishable unless the law expressly provides otherwise.
Tolentino said that to date, no competent evidence has been presented showing that Paras executed or caused a false affidavit, offered fabricated evidence before any prosecutor or court, induced the commission of a crime, or obstructed justice.
The camp also took exception to media reports — specifically on News5 — suggesting the affidavits pointed to a destabilization plot against the government, a characterization the statement called "an absurd allegation" intended for political persecution.
"Congressman Jing Paras remains presumed innocent under the Constitution," the statement read, adding that he will not be tried "through edited documents, selective disclosures, anonymous sources, social media, or political propaganda."
NBI Moves to Summon Paras and Batangas Lawmaker
The rejection follows the National Bureau of Investigation's move to summon Paras and Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste over a sworn affidavit from an arrested talent manager. According to GMA News Online, the talent manager was apprehended in an NBI-National Capital Region entrapment operation at a five-star hotel in Malate, Manila, where five women were rescued in an alleged human trafficking case.
The talent manager claimed Paras asked him to recruit four women to execute false affidavits against Recto — falsely portraying the Executive Secretary as a client of women recruited for the scheme — in exchange for a promised ₱5 million, and alleged that Leviste financed the operation, as reported by GMA News Online and The Filipino Times. Both lawmakers have denied the allegations.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said investigators recovered and authenticated message exchanges tied to a phone number belonging to the former lawmaker, though the messages were later deleted, according to Politiko. The bureau also plans to subpoena lawyers allegedly present in the meetings once they are identified, Abante Tonite reported.
Paras and Leviste are expected to appear before the NBI on Wednesday or Thursday, The Filipino Times reported.
By the Numbers
- ₱5 million — amount allegedly promised to the talent manager in exchange for recruiting women to file false affidavits against Recto
- 4 — number of women the talent manager was allegedly asked to recruit
- 5 — number of women rescued in the NBI entrapment operation at the Malate hotel
- 2 — lawmakers (Paras and Leviste) summoned by the NBI over the affidavit
Why This Matters
The case draws in a former Negros Oriental congressman, a sitting Batangas lawmaker, and the country's Executive Secretary in allegations of human trafficking and evidence fabrication — placing it among the more politically sensitive NBI investigations in recent months. The Paras camp's formal legal warnings signal that the dispute is likely to extend into libel and cybercrime proceedings beyond the NBI inquiry itself. With Paras and Leviste expected to face the NBI this week, the outcome of those appearances could determine whether formal charges follow.
Photo credit: Photo from GMA News Online