Lawyer Orlando Mendiola said it was talent manager “Alias Ken” who asked for money during a meeting to assess the statements of women who were allegedly planning to execute affidavits against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
Mendiola said that when nobody agreed to his demands, he called off the meeting.
Mendiola said he was only there to interview the women and evaluate their statements upon the request of former lawmaker Jacinto “Jing” Paras.
He said they were not involved in an alleged scheme to frame Recto through false affidavits.
“My task is just to evaluate, interview, etcetera. Then Alias Ken started asking for money. So I looked at Cong Jing. You handle this, this is not my task,” Mendiola said on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “On Point.”
He said he heard Paras say that there was no agreement and that what they were doing was for the country.
“So when Ken realized none of us were going to give him any money, he just called it off,” he said.
He said the women were also expecting money and did not want to continue the interview after Ken told them that there was none.
He said there was no discussion of payment or consideration during their first meeting with Alias Ken and the women.
“As far as we’re concerned, they were just there to tell us the story,” he said.
Mendiola said he did hand out money to them during their July 26 meeting, but it was only for gas and because they were asking.
“Why not Cong Jing, di ba? Because I was the one talking to them,” he said, adding that the amount was not substantial.
He also said he and fellow lawyer Ruy Rondain were not paid to attend the two meetings with Paras, Ken and the women.
They were only there to evaluate their story and help draft the affidavit, but did not commit to take them on as clients.
Mendiola said he was taking notes during his earlier meeting with the woman but had not written an actual affidavit yet.
He later brought along two young lawyers of the firm to help him draft it.
But no affidavit was written because Ken backed out, he said.
The talent manager, who was arrested in an anti-human trafficking operation, earlier alleged that Paras and Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste were involved in an alleged plot to have four women issue false claims about Recto.