Legarda denies offering P100M for House break-in video

Sen. Loren Legarda on Tuesday denied that she offered P100 million in exchange for copies of video of the alleged break-in and switching of election returns (ER) at the House of Representatives in 2005, allegedly to cover up the supposed irregularities in the previous year's elections. "Saan naman ako kukuha ng P100 million... wala kaming ibibigay, ni P1 million wala," Legarda said at a press briefing. She admitted, however, that a group had tried to sell her the video years ago. She said she refused to pay and instead asked the group to give her the videos for free to help her case then pending before the Supreme Court. The group allegedly refused to give her the videos for free. "Ang sakit naman... dinaya ka na, binebenta pa sa 'yo kung papaano ka dinaya tapos nung di mo binili yung kanilang binebenta sa 'yo, ikaw pa ang sinisi ngayon. Kaya nga sana magpakatotoo na lang sila," she said. Former Vice President Noli De Castro won over Legarda with a slim margin of 881,722 votes in the 2004 elections. Legarda contested the result but the Presidential Electoral Tribunal dismissed her protest in January 2008. Recently, Lt. Joel Pinawin, former liaison of the Special Action Forces, alleged that Legarda offered them P100 million for copies of the video of alleged ER switching at the House of Representatives. He eventually surrendered a copy of the video to Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Legarda, however, said the sudden proliferation of the video was suspicious. "Seven years na yung video na yan, paikot-ikot, nilako sa lahat. Sen. Lacson... sa lahat na ng TV station, napanood na ng lahat ng tao," she said. She added that the more important question was how the group supposedly managed to break into the House of Representatives where there was supposed to be tight security. Legarda said the video vindicated her and her running-mate in 2004, the late actor Ferdnando Poe Jr., who also claimed that he was cheated by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. "Now it has come out, so there's justice in the world," Legarda said. “Hindi kailangang ibigay ang posisyon sa taong namatay, si FPJ. Hindi kailangang ibigay ang posisyon sa akin, wala na akong hinahangad pa, tapos na ang ambisyon. Importante there's vindication and justice," he said. - KBK, GMA News