Trillanes to Gordon: Man up and apologize to De Lima

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Tuesday said Senator Richard Gordon “should be man enough” to admit he falsely accused Senator Leila de Lima of concealing vital information about confessed hitman Edgar Matobato.

“Public apology ang kailangan dito. He should be man enough to admit na nagkamali siya. He falsely accused a member of the committee,” Trillanes said.

“Eh ngayong hinarapan siya ng katotohanan eh pride ang umiiral. Hindi maganda 'yon. Lumalabas ang bias ng chairman,” the senator added.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice committee, had a heated exchange with De Lima Monday night over alleged “material concealment” on the kidnapping charges filed previously against Matobato.

The case was filed by the common law wife of alleged terrorist Sali Makdum, whom Matobato claimed was kidnapped and killed on President Rodrigo Duterte's orders.

De Lima walked out of the hearing after she failed to get an apology over the supposed false accusations.

Trillanes then read a part of the transcript of the September 15 hearing, wherein Matobato disclosed the information before the committee.

“Opo, ma’am kasi pinaylan (file) ako ng kaso, ma’am ng kidnapping kang Sali Makdum. Hindi ko sila tinuro. Parang inako ko rin. Pinaylan (file) ako sa NBI,” Matobato said then.

Trillanes said Gordon and the other senators who accused De Lima of deliberately concealing information have been publicly humiliated for making false allegations.

“[That] was very unfair kaya ganun pero nung napahiya na, naghanap na ng butas kung anu-anong maliliit na bagay. Everybody saw it, napahiya sila,” Trillanes said.

“We cannot feign ignorance,” he added.

Trillanes further said that if Senator Gordon will argue that he forgot about Matobato’s statement admitting the kidnapping case, then he cannot accuse Matobato of lying based on memory lapse.

“Kung sasabihin niyang memory lapse 'yon, o teka ikaw nga nagme-memory [lapse], si Mr. Matobato hindi pwede magka-memory lapse?” the senator argued. —ALG, GMA News