Palace pressuring me to quit–Cuevas

[tomboy]

Hindi ko talaga alam kung sino tanga sa hacienda administration.

Palace pressuring me to quit

Palace pressuring me to quit–Cuevas
Malacañang to Corona lawyer: Name emissary
By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
11:59 pm | Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Who wants retired Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas out of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona?

The 83-year-old Cuevas, who has become a sort of a rock star because of his performance as lead defense counsel in the afternoon TV-radio spectacle before a nationwide audience, has revealed purported efforts by Malacañang to get him out just two weeks into the Senate trial.

Cuevas said he had been approached on a number of occasions by a lawyer to deliver a supposed message from Malacañang.

He said he was being asked to leave the defense panel in exchange for the withdrawal of the criminal case against Magtanggol Gatdula, the recently sacked director of the National Bureau of Investigation.

“I was told that the President wanted me out as a bargaining chip in the case, that they would no longer pursue it provided that I withdraw,” the counsel said in Filipino in an interview with the Inquirer in his Makati City office on Saturday night.

Cuevas is also the legal counsel of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), of which Gatdula is also a member. Gatdula has been implicated in the alleged kidnapping of an undocumented Japanese woman.

Cuevas identified the emissary, supposedly a member of Malacañang’s “rah-rah” boys, but asked that his name be withheld.

He said the man, his former student at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law, feared Palace repercussions.

“I know him to be with Malacañang, (but) I’m not sure whether he’s authorized or he is doing it himself,” the defense counsel said. “I don’t speak with the President anyway … I do not want to add credence to that.”

Asked for comment, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a phone interview that if Cuevas had proof, he should identify the emissary.

Palace: Identify emissary

“Let’s not dwell on anonymity. He owes it to the public to identify the person,” said Lacierda, who repeated the Palace satisfaction at the way the trial was proceeding. “The [pieces of] evidence speak for themselves,” he told the Inquirer.

Lacierda also said he saw “no causal connection” between Cuevas and Gatdula other than that both of them were INC members.

In the interview with the Inquirer, Cuevas said he had also been receiving some form of “harassment” lately in connection with a couple of family-owned buildings in Quezon City.

Days after the impeachment trial began, he said he was suddenly asked to submit the book of accounts, supposedly for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), to check if the right taxes were being paid.

“Why only now?” Cuevas said. “It’s no small thing. It’s serious. I don’t know what will follow next.”

He added: “It gives a chilling effect. But I don’t know if the President knows about it. Perhaps, it’s only the handiwork of people who want to look good before him.”
Holding punches

Cuevas said the inquiry into the Quezon City properties was similar to an incident involving BIR officers shortly after he went public as a counsel for then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned rather than undergo an impeachment trial.

He said three BIR officers went to his law office in Salcedo Village one day and began investigating.

“Make sure you do it right because you know how life is—today you are up, tomorrow you may be down,” he told the BIR officers in Filipino, adding that the incident “scared away” many of his clients.
Not easy task

“If they are no longer in position, that’s the time they will see what kind of blows we will deliver,” Cuevas said. “We are holding our punches. We cannot unleash the full fury of our punch because of the existing circumstances.”

He said he was unfazed by the pressure on him to quit the Corona defense team.

So far in the trial, Cuevas has been both criticized and commended for the way he has been defending the Chief Justice, particularly in the face of allegations that he had amassed ill-gotten wealth, a charge not included in the existing articles of impeachment.
Cuevas said Corona had personally asked him to serve as his lead defense counsel. He said he and his entire family were initially against the idea given the possible harassment that might come their way.

“It’s not easy because you’re up against Malacañang,” he said.
President Aquino has been openly campaigning for the removal of Corona, alleging that he was a roadblock to his reform programs and his campaign promise to prosecute former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for electoral sabotage and corruption.

Corona earlier fired back, saying the President was showing dictatorial tendencies by attempting to control the judiciary. With a report from Christine O. Avendaño

[shadow]

This is all talk or a media spin if he will not name names...

Nagkakagaliiti na INC, based Sa column ni tulfo, nagtampo si Manalo, Huwag na daw I consider ni pnoy yun mga recommendation nila Sa mga selectd govt position while yun mga INC naka pwesto na pwede daw mag resign...

This is actually good..a president not succumbing to INC's pressure.

Saka Sinabi rin ni cuevas na they are just holding their punches, Ano yun babawi sila Sa election..actually itong nirereklamo niyan pressure from malacang, ganun din ginagawa nila pag election....so he and his church is no different from malacang...

[CoDer]

Ay tanga lang ang maniniwala sa kwentong yan. Sila nga tong gustong mag pa inhibit ng isang senator judge eh.

[Stoner]

The way he chose his words... such arrogance.

[CoDer]

Pati BIR damay na rin, tag team sila ni Joker.

[Ry_Tower]

The way he chose his words... such arrogance.

Right on sir Stoner. Hindi din pala siya objective, very subjective and vindicative pa.

[Mile2]

This is all talk or a media spin if he will not name names...

Nagkakagaliiti na INC, based Sa column ni tulfo, nagtampo si Manalo, Huwag na daw I consider ni pnoy yun mga recommendation nila Sa mga selectd govt position while yun mga INC naka pwesto na pwede daw mag resign...

This is actually good..a president not succumbing to INC's pressure.

Saka Sinabi rin ni cuevas na they are just holding their punches, Ano yun babawi sila Sa election..actually itong nirereklamo niyan pressure from malacang, ganun din ginagawa nila pag election....so he and his church is no different from malacang...

You are talking like Tulfo, putting words into someone else's mouth. Bashing baseless and speculative write ups

Tulfo is not a spoke person for INC neither was Cuevas so don't picture like you a re getting official statements.

[shadow]

You are talking like Tulfo, putting words into someone else's mouth. Bashing baseless and speculative write ups

Tulfo is not a spoke person for INC neither was Cuevas so don't picture like you a re getting official statements.

He's an INC member, he's the the head of legal dept of INC...

What punches he can throw if he's not an INC member?

[freeloader]

Tanga lang maniniwala kay Tulfo

[CoDer]

Tanga lang maniniwala kay Tulfo

Therefore tanga si tomboy?

[glenn manikis]

justice cuevas is a man with high morals and integrity..... hindi cya ang klase ng tao na gagawa ng kwento o magiinbento..... never pa cyang na involve sa kahit anong bagay na ikasasama ng imahe nya... EVEN before he was a justice of the supreme court or the DOJ SEC... During the time of ERAP... nApaka straight ng tao na yan... kahit na isang billion na pisong lagay tinatangihan nyan... he's also a man of GOD...

[Mile2]

He's an INC member, he's the the head of legal dept of INC...

What punches he can throw if he's not an INC member?

Another kwentong barbero get your fact straight and stop making unfounded info.

[shadow]

Another kwentong barbero get your fact straight and stop making unfounded info.

Fact? that he's an INC member?

Na shocked siguro INC, ngayon lang yun Isang president na hinde nagpapa pressure sa kanila...

They can't wait for the next election, to unleash as what cuevas said their vaunted powerful punches...and yes it's from my barbero..

[Altis6453]

So much for the so-called "pressure".

Cuevas denies Palace pressure to resign
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 01/30/2012 11:50 AM | Updated as of 01/30/2012 1:20 PM
Tweet

MANILA, Philippines - Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas on Monday denied a Philippine Daily Inquirer report that he was being pressured by a Palace emissary to resign as defense lawyer of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A radio dzMM report said Cuevas denied that a Palace lawyer approached him and urged him to resign. The former SC justice admitted talking to a PDI reported last Saturday but said he made no mention about quitting Corona's defense team.

He said he told the reporter that several examiners from the Bureau of Internal Revenue went to his office after learning that he was representing then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in her impeachment trial. Gutierrez resigned even before the trial could start.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report earlier quoted Cuevas as saying that a Palace emissary urged him to quit as Corona's lawyer. In exchange, the Palace emissary allegedly said criminal charges against former National Bureau of Investigation director Magtanggol Gatdula would be dropped.

Cuevas is the lawyer of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo religious sect, of which Gatdula is a member. Gatdula is facing charges for allegedly benefiting from the kidnap-extortion of Japanese businesswoman.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, meanwhile, said the report is meant to distract from the complaint against Corona.

"Former Justice Cuevas’ fantastic claims as carried in the media and his subsequent denial, are classic attempts to distract from the substance of the issues: which are, how was Chief Justice Corona able to acquire his assets, given what he has reported on his income? After all, [Bureau of Immigration] Commissioner Kim Henares’ testimony last week has not, to date been rebutted by the defense," Lacierda said in a statement.

Lacierda said he hopes Cuevas "will give as much emphasis to his retraction as he did to his initial claim. The country cannot afford distractions of this sort from the impeachment trial proceedings."

[Ry_Tower]

Ok na sana performance niya biglang ito?! Nobody's perfect nga naman!

[shadow]

Wala na ito! Nag deny na si cuevas daw...sabi niya marami daw sinulat na hinde niya Sinabi...pwe!

Nakita siguro niya and INC na nag backfire sa kanila...ayun biglang baligtad

[shadow]

Classic diversion...retraction lang magagawa niya when people asked him to name the emissary...

Pinipilit lang nila iconnect sa gatdula incident..Kaso sablay nanaman..

[shadow]

Wala na hatang power INM sa admin ngayon?

[Mile2]

Wala na hatang power INM sa admin ngayon?

Flame baiting na yan, and name calling. huwag maging sensitive sabi nga kadang Coder

[shadow]

Wala na hatang power INM sa admin ngayon?

Baka dahil hinde na holiday ang anniversary?