Lawyer Raul Lambino. Photo: Republika News/Izel Abanilla 

MANILA, Philippines – Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) – Laban senatorial candidate Raul Lambino on Monday said he will reveal the source of the false information about a temporary restraining order (TRO) supposedly issued by the Supreme Court (SC) against the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in his counter affidavit once he receives the copy of the complaint reportedly filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against him over alleged disinformation. 

“Ilalagay ko ‘yan sa aking sagot kung saan nanggaling ‘yung information na ‘yun. But remember, kaya kami nagpunta sa Supreme Court para maverify namin kung totoo ‘yung report na ‘yan na emrong lumabas na TRO,” Lambino said. 

It can be remembered that Lambino, together with Duterte’s lawyer Israelito Torreon and actor Philip Salvador, a PDP-Laban senatorial candidate, went to the Supreme Court on March 11 to file a TRO to block the arrest of the former president. 

In a live broadcast thereafter, Lambino falsely claimed that a TRO had been issued that, according to the SC, caused “public confusion and misled the people about the Supreme Court’s actions. 

On April 8, the SC issued a show cause order to Lambino asking him to explain why he should not be sanctioned for spreading false information. 

He defended that while the claim on the TRO may be dismissed as false, the act of going to the SC to verify the information was a testament of finding out the truth and a normal thing to do for any lawyer. 

“Kasi kung fake news ‘yun eh ‘di dapat hindi na kami nagpunta roon para i-verify. Gusto namin malaman kung ‘yung impormasyon na ‘yon ay totoo o hindi,” he said. 

“As a lawyer, minabuti namin pumunta sa Supreme Court. We just didn’t rely on dito sa mga information na ganito ganyan,” he said. 

Lambino has yet to receive a copy of both the NBI complaint and the SC show cause order. He said he only knew about it in the news and on social media. 

His response has already been drafted, he said, but will only submit it once he receives a copy of the complaints. 

False SC TRO only an information

Lambino cleared that the SC TRO was just an information he heard but the authenticity of it was a different matter and the situation at Villamor Air Base where the former leader was detained straight from his Hong Kong arrival was already heightened. 

“We can assume that the information that reached us wasn’t true after we came from the Supreme Court but at that time when that information came to us we believed that it was true dahil ang taas na ng tensyon sa Villamor [Air Base] eh,” he said. 

“Everybody were already stressed na sa gagawin ng gobyerno kay Tatay Digong,” he said. 

The constitutional law professor defends that he does not see anything wrong with their act of heading to the Supreme Court to verify the information on the TRO. 

‘Yun lamang po ‘yung amin ginawa ang I don’t see any wrong of going to the Supreme Court to verify kung meron ngang lumabas na TRO.  

If found guilty however, Lambino said he is willing to face whatever consequence and penalty the High Court will impose on him. 

“I am ready to face whatever penalty kung ‘yan po ‘yung sasabihin ng Supreme Court sa akin. I am not going to defy the honorable Supreme Court on whatever order they may give me,” he said. 

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