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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gutierrez appeals to lawmakers: Be careful of Guban's testimonies

Gutierrez appeals to lawmakers: Be careful of Guban's testimonies

Published Aug 17, 2024 06:55 am

At A Glance

  • According to Gutierrez, Congress would become a laughing stock should they believe in Guban's claims.

Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) Executive Director Paul Gutierrez appealed to lawmakers in the House of Representatives to be careful of the statements of former Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, saying the Congress might lose its credibility if they would treat Guban as a witness.

Paul Gutierrez (RTVM)
Presidential Task Force on Media Security Executive Director Paul Gutierrez (RTVM Screenshot)

Gutierrez said this after Guban in a House quad-committee, or quad-comm, hearing linked him along with Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte; lawyer Manases Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte; and former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) undersecretary Benny Antiporda; and Chinese national Michael Yang to the P6.8-billion "shabu" shipment in 2018.

In his radio program in state-run Radyo Pilipinas on Saturday, Aug. 17, the former journalist asked the QuadComm to review Guban's previous claims in congressional hearings on the 2018 shabu shipment so they would realize that Guban is an "inveterate liar."

"It’s better po for our lawmakers to clarify their minds and their thinking insofar as this issue is concerned to just go back to the records po ng mga previous hearing at dun po ay makumpirma ninyo kung gaano kasinungaling si Mr. Jimmy Guban (of their previous hearings so they could confirm how much of a liar is Mr. Jimmy Guban)," he said.

"Mag-ingat po kayo sa testimonya ng isang convicted drug trafficker at kilala pong sinungaling. Sa totoo lamang po, dapat po ay mainsulto kayo na harap-harapan ninyo, binabastos po nitong ganitong klaseng witness ang pangalan po ng Kongreso (You should be careful of the testimonies of a convicted drug trafficker and an inveterate liar. You should be insulted because this kind of witness is besmirching the name of the Congress)," he added.

According to Gutierrez, Congress would become a laughing stock should they believe in Guban's claims.

"Bukod sa wawasakin ni Guban 'yang kredibilidad ng ginaganap na hearing sa Kongreso ay gagawin pa nyang katawa-tawa mismo ang ating pong mga kongresista sakali pong meron siyang mapaniwala na meron siyang kredibilidad (Aside from destroying the Congress hearing's credibility, he will turn our lawmakers into a laughing stock in case he convinces them that he is credible)," he said.

The former National Press Club (NPC) president said the lawmakers should have gone with a different witness if their hearing was politically motivated.

"Kung hahanap na rin sila ng maninira, para gagagamitin po sa kanilang political objectives, sana naman ay naghanap sila ng iba (If they wanted someone to destroy people for their political objectives, they should've picked another person)," he said.

"Luma na itong si Guban eh, wala na itong sasabihin na totoo ito, eh. Besides, convicted po ito, drug trafficking, life term (Guban is not new and he will not say anything true. Besides, he is convicted of drug trafficking, facing life in prison)," he added.

Despite this, Gutierrez said he was ready to face the allegations hurled against him.

"Makakaasa po ang ating mga mambabatas, ang ating pong publiko na nakahanda pong humarap itong inyong lingkod, unang-una po ay dahil nga po malinis ang ating konsyensya at alam po nating puro kasinungalingan po itong nilubid ni Mr. Jimmy Guban (The lawmakers and the public can trust that I will face them because my conscience is clear and we know these are all lies spun by Mr. Jimmy Guban)," he said.

Guban was one of the surprise witnesses of the expansive four-panel probe on the alleged interconnected issues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), illegal drugs, and extrajudicial killings during the previous Duterte administration's drug war.

Related Tags

PTFoMS Jimmy Guban Paul Gutierrez
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