MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Larry Gadon on Tuesday submitted to a "gag order" by the House justice panel on allegations of bribery at the Senate, which may end up trying an impeach case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Rep. Vincent Crisologo (Quezon City) asked Gadon as the committee resumed hearings to establish probable in the case to shut his mouth and “casting aspersions” on the impeachment proceedings. Gadon submitted although the "gag order" was not an official motion.
Gadon, who has been directed to submit a written explanation of comments he made to media, claimed over the weekend that he is "verifying information" that an "oligarch" has offered to bribes each senator with P200 million to acquit Sereno should her impeachment case reach the Senate.
He did not name the source of the information, saying only that many people had been calling him. Oligarch, originally a Russian term, refers to wealthy people who have influence in government.
Senator Panfilo Lacson and Grace Poe have dismissed Gadon’s claim as mere rumor.
"His testimony before the House of Representatives, all hearsay. This one is just gossip, maybe even triple hearsay," Lacson said in Filipino on Monday.
"In the first place, I don't know of anything speaking with the senators. Maybe this is his tactic to put the senators on the spot if and when the articles of impeachment will be transmitted to us," Lacson added.
Gadon has been criticized for seeming to mix up sources of information that he claims in his impeachment complaint to have personal knowledge of.
READ: Senators dismiss Gadon's bribery claim as hearsay, gossip
Gadon, a vocal supporter of the Duterte administration and a Marcos loyalist, said he himself does not believe senators can be bribed. He said he does not believe that it is contemptuous for him to say that.
Justice committee chair Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro) had initially declined to comment on the allegation said that it was a matter best left to the Senate but, on the prodding of committee members, told Gadon to submit his explanation within five days.
Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr (Ako Bicol party-list ) raised the issue before the hearing kicked off, saying Gadon should avoid making allegations that may affect the proceedings.
He also chastised the complainant for saying in earlier interviews that impeachment deliberations would be finished before the year ends.
On Tuesday, the House impeachment panel also received a written explanation from Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz over his statement that the “law of the jungle” seems to be prevailing at the House.
Sereno’s lawyers Joshua Santiago and Aldwyn Salumbides earlier submitted their reply.