The camp of Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said Nov. 14 that the claims of former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo against the former Senate president are merely designed to besmirch and destroy his reputation.
“Bernardo’s claims against Senator Chiz are not new. These allegations have been denied and refuted before,” Atty. Ramon Esguerra, counsel for Escudero, stressed in a statement.
“We believe that these allegations are merely designed to besmirch and destroy Senator Chiz’s reputation, as well as that of the Senate,” Esguerra added.
Bernardo appeared at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing yesterday, and claimed in his second supplementary affidavit that he and other DPWH officials prepared a list of projects, all worth P1.4 billion, with a 20 percent commitment for Escudero.
But Esguerra pointed out that “there is no direct evidence presented in the testimony of Bernardo linking Senator Chiz to any criminal act.”
Speculations and insinuations are not evidence, he said. “These are at best hearsay, lack basis, and are self-serving statements that will not stand in any court of law.”
Esguerra expressed confidence that facts and evidence will vindicate Escudero, show that these allegations against him are malicious and baseless, and prove that he is innocent. ||
