Enough of trial by publicity.

My detractors persist in spreading lies and unfounded accusations. This only

shows their desperation for media mileage to prop up their obviously
hopeless presidential or political ambitions.
For the record:
there is a baseless accusation published in a newspaper daily today that i am
a member of a cartel. this is garbage. i have never been part of a cartel. that
newspaper daily alludes to the still unseen world bank report to justify its
conclusion. this is also garbage. from what i have read, the world bank
continues to deny that there is any direct evidence linking me to this scandal.
If the published excerpts from the report accurate, then there is less reason
to indict me publicly. Those quoted excerpts are unequivocal that the alleged
witnesses against me merely believe I am involved. This is worse than
hearsay! Feelings are never evidence; they are never admissible. Obviously,
there is no direct evidence of that involvement because there is no such
involvement.
Even the supposed statement of one mr suzuka to the effect that he met with
the salet senator barbers and myself has been belied by no less than his
representative, trix lim. Under oath and publicly testifying in person at the
senate. Even mr suzuka was quoted by mr aries rufo as admitting that he
never witnesses an exchange of money.
Yesterday I read a report in a major daily that mr willy castor, president of
the national constructors association of the philippines has disclosed that mr
suzuka is not a real contractor but a mere hardware store owner in japan. Mr
castor emphasized that since suzuka always loses biddings because of
falsified documents; he was merely sour graping. He has no credibility
because even his peers dont believe him.
Today I read that the world bank yesterday refused to authenticate the notice
of sanctions. That validates what I have always maintained: that unless there
is competent evidence against me, these accusations stem from nothing
more than speculation and conjecture. Even the PCIJ, with whom I am
presently tangling in court, was fortright enough to support this position
that the report contains layers of rumors innuendoes and facts. (Phil Star, feb
12, 2009)

The world bank in any case forewarns that the investigation from which it
sprang was strictly administrative in nature, to determine if its internal rules
was violated. The bank again was careful enough to point out that the
investigation was not intended to be an inquiry into criminal activities in this
country. Thus it ahs a disclaimer that it should not be used as a basis to
initiate any civil, criminal or administrative investigation in this jurisdiction.
Finally I have read that another senate committee will conduct its own
investigation because some senators are not satisfied with the way senator
Santiago conducted hers, this is shocking to me as a lawyer because it smells
too much of forum shopping if a lawyer like myself had done something
similar, i.e., go to court because I did not like how another court ruled
against me, I would face stiff sanctions by the supreme court. Still I continue
to recognize the supreme authority of the senate within the chambers walls.
I will respect whatever decision of its committees might take. I only request
that the constitutional rights of citizens like myself be safeguarded in the
process.