(Updated 10:36 p.m.) Businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco admitted talking to jueteng whistleblower, retired bishop Oscar Cruz, but denied doing so on the order of his second cousin, President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III. Cojuangco, Aquino's
biggest campaign contributor, also denied that he asked Cruz to go easy on Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno, the President's shooting buddy, who was implicated in the jueteng scandal.
Cruz, who faced the Senate blue ribbon committee on Tuesday, bared a list of names that included Puno and retired Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Verzosa. The other names Cruz cited were:
- Governor Baby Pineda of Pampanga;
- Paul Dy of Isabela;
- Retired general Eugene Martin of Baguio City;
- Mayor Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City;
- Danny Soriano of Cagayan;
- a certain retired "General Padilla" operating in Pasay, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, and San Pedro;
- Governor Amado Espino in Pangasinan, and
- Boy Jalandoni of Bacolod.
According to GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo, Cojuangco said he talked to Cruz for only around 10 minutes to talk about the names on the bishop's list of alleged jueteng payola recipients. "The only names I recognized were that of Usec. Puno and Gen. Versoza. I expressed disbelief that the names were mentioned because I said they themselves told me that they are out to stamp out jueteng," he said in an ambush interview with reporters. "So I said 'bishop are you sure of this? Do you have evidence for coming up with this list?' And he said 'wala akong hard evidence.' So I think the media, because there’s no hard evidence and it's been admitted by the bishop in hearings, should stop talking about the list," Cojuangco said. Cojuangco, chairman and president of Mantrade Development Corp., is in the United States as part of Aquino's
business delegation. Cojuangco said he talked to the bishop out of his own initiative. "Everybody has to help the government do its function and this is my way of helping. I don’t think the help that we give the president should end with the campaign. I think we should continue in our own little way to help his admin," he said. He added, "I have not spoken to the president at all. There’s no reason I should speak to him if the list is unsubstantiated." Cojuangco, who grew irritated during the interview, said the media should just focus on the president's purpose for coming to the United States, which was mainly to secure investments that would generate jobs for Filipinos. “I would like you to focus on the President’s purpose for coming here and that is to raise jobs for the Philippines and stop talking about something which is nothing. Because as the bishop mentioned, he has no evidence. Let’s not waste time. You already know it's unsubstantiated and you’re still talking about it," a visibly irked Cojuangco told reporters. During the
Senate hearing on jueteng last Tuesday, Cruz said Cojuangco hinted that he should "take it easy" on Puno, a
close friend of the president.
"Wala ako sinabi, di ako nangako na susundin ko siya (I did not say anything, I did not promise that I would follow him)," the bishop said earlier. Puno admitted during the hearing that he and Cojuangco were friends but that they haven't talked in a while. "My knowledge on jueteng is based on the intelligence report of the Philippine National Police," he said. Puno said he would resign once Aquino returns to Manila next week because of the controversies he is embroiled in — the jueteng scandal and the mishandling of the August 23 hostage crisis wherein eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. As undersecretary for peace and order, Puno is in charge of the Philippine National Police which is accused of mishandling the situation. Aquino said Puno would have to
undergo due process before he decides whether to accept Puno's resignation.
–VVP/JV, GMANews.TV 
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