JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the gun attack on Lalaine Martinez and the alleged bribe offer to the high-value inmates detained at the military custodial center were both "real."
Lalaine is the wife of Noel Martinez, one of the high profile inmates detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) custodial center. She was the one who disclosed the alleged P100 million bribe try, according to Aguirre.
"Totoo ang ambush. Totoo ang bribe, kita naman ninyo yung sasakyan may tama," the Justice chief said in a chance interview at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday.
Aguirre also claimed that Lalaine did not report to police her ambush, which took place on Friday night in Barangay Carmona in Makati.
Lalaine also was not able to secure any medical record as she did not go to the hospital "for security reasons", Aguirre said. She instead called a doctor, who is also her friend, to attend to her needs after she sustained a wound in her right shoulder.
After doubts ensued on the recent ambush, Aguirre slammed his critics for being "illogical."
"Ang basehan lang ninyo na hindi totoo ang ambush ay sapagkat hindi nireport sa police. Illogical kayo. Hindi porket hindi nireport wala ng ambush. Hindi niya nireport kasi sabi niya sa akin malapit na yung bahay niya sa pinagambushan at kung siya'y pupunta pa sa ibang lugar lalong manganganib ang buhay niya."
Lalaine earlier said she has in her possession a recording that will prove the bribe attempt of former Senator Jamby Madrigal and Laguna Representative Marlyn Alonte-Naguiat to the inmates to recant their statement implicating Senator Leila De Lima.
The National Bureau of Investigation in the press conference last Monday said they will verify the authenticity of the said recording. Its spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin also said they will probe if the attempt on Lalaine's life is connected to the inmates' refusal to the bribe offer.
On February 24, Aguirre said Madrigal and Naguiat were the ones behind the offer. Both Madrigal and Alonte denied the allegations. (SunStar Philippines)