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'I DO NOT KNOW THESE PEOPLE'

Solon blasts 2 Leni critics for allegedly using him in impeach moves


A lawmaker related to President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday blasted a group critical of Vice President Leni Robredo for allegedly using his name in their efforts to file an impeachment complaint against her.

Speaking to reporters, PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles said two members of the Impeach Leni Movement, whom he later identified as Bruce Rivera and Trixie Cruz-Angeles, met him in his office earlier in the day to show him a copy of the draft complaint.

A nephew of the President, Nograles said he was surprised to see his name on the first page of the complaint.

"I do not know these people. I have not met them, I have not [shaken] their hands. Even when I asked them, ‘Magkakilala ba tayo? Have we ever met? Have we ever spoken?’ Sabi nila hindi," he said.

Nograles said he took offense at being listed in a draft impeachment complaint, saying it was done without his consent. He talked to reporters after his name was floated as the endorser of the impeachment complaint.

"I said, ‘I did not give you any authority to use my name, I don’t know why you are presenting this to me, and I would like you to leave my office because you are using my name without my consent'," he said.

Nograles said he is looking into possible legal action for the "misrepresentation," saying such could be grounds for disbarment against the two.

Support for impeachment?

The Nograles family had a long-standing feud. Jericho's father, former House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr., was once a political rival of Duterte, a former Davao City mayor. They reconciled in the 2016 elections to support Duterte's candidacy for president.

Jericho and his brother, Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles, are part of the House supermajority, led by allies of the President.

On Tuesday, Jericho Nograles categorically said he “will not endorse” the complaint against Robredo, noting his membership in the House justice committee.

"I am obligated to maintain an objective stand and read the complaint, and make a decision after the case has been presented and heard," he said.

While he declined to comment on possible impeachment against the Vice President, Nograles said he thinks "it’s better that we just work together than fight each other."

‘There was no misrepresentation’

Before this, Rivera, the spokesperson for the Impeach Leni Movement, revealed that a male lawmaker has received their complaint, and may forward it to the Office of the House Secretary General for filing and endorsement.

The lawyer said a lawmaker “reached out” to them upon hearing that they were building an impeachment complaint against Robredo, and expressed intent to support it.

He did not name this male representative.

Sought for comment, Rivera said Nograles was not the legislator who approached them about the complaint.

He said there may have been “misunderstanding” over the incident, since he and Angeles were not the members of the group that spoke to Nograles.

"Sabi namin, ‘Sir, ‘di naman namin sinubmit pa ‘yan, so if you don’t want to endorse, we can take out your name. There was no misrepresentation on our part," he said.

"His name was there kasi somebody told us that he might be signing. But we never put it on record, we never mentioned him," added Rivera, former lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

For his part, political science professor Antonio Contreras, another member of the group, said Nograles “sent feelers that he would be interested to endorse” the complaint, provided that he reads it first.

"To save time, we included his name already, but in the event he declined to endorse as what happened, we had a cover letter prepared addressed to the Speaker. We just deleted his name," Contreras told GMA News Online in a text message. —KBK, GMA News

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