Malacañang on Friday questioned the credibility of former congressman Mike Defensor following his statement that a new batch of former soldiers is allegedly ready to testify about a multibillion-peso bribery scheme.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Defensor is known for speeches calling for the removal of the President from office. During a press briefing in Malacañang, Castro referred to Defensor as a “wonder boy” and “Ador Mawanay 2.0.”
Ador Mawanay served as a star witness in 2001 against Sen. Ping Lacson but later recanted his allegations, according to Castro.
Castro also said she had information about an alleged operator from the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who is supposedly working to stir issues. She said that when the individual is involved in a controversy, “something is fishy.”
The Palace believes the bribery claims may have been released to undermine the credibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Despite this, Castro said Malacañang remains more concerned about what it described as false allegations being thrown against the President.
No additional details about the alleged new witnesses or the reported bribery scheme were provided during the briefing.
