VP Sara, Velasco camps deny allegations of alias Chris

The camps of Vice President Sara Duterte and former House speaker Lord Allan Velasco have separately denied new allegations of cash deliveries.

According to a report by Luisito Santos on Super Radyo dzBB on Thursday, Velasco’s self-proclaimed former driver, alias “Chris”, came forward to the National Bureau of Investigation to submit his affidavit and purported evidence.

Duterte’s spokesperson lawyer Paolo Panelo denied Chris’ allegations.

“Another day, another tanim (planted) witness. They can keep manufacturing allegations, but they cannot fabricate the truth. As before, VP Sara will happily dismantle each allegation with evidence at the proper time,” Panelo said in a Facebook post Friday.

Panelo told the media to independently verify these claims, saying that the “Fourth Estate is being weaponized for the relentless, but ultimately ineffective, black propaganda against the Vice President.”

Meanwhile, Velasco’s spokesperson lawyer Rowell Ilagan similarly denied the allegations of the former driver.

“This is now the second time a purported witness has surfaced to make similar unfounded allegations against our client, intended to cast aspersions on his character and integrity rather than to establish the truth through evidence,” Ilagan said.

Ilagan said that Chris’ testimonies had inconsistencies that showed a lack of personal knowledge, adding that he failed to establish any factual basis.

Similarly, Ilagan asked the media to evaluate the claims being made.

“Former House Speaker Velasco has served the country with integrity and sincerity. Having returned to private life, he should not be subjected to unfounded accusations or made a collateral target of political controversies. We shall continue to evaluate these allegations and the circumstances surrounding their dissemination to determine the appropriate legal remedies,” Ilagan said. —KG, GMA News