The Manila Times’ senior reporter Jomar Canlas has been a target of death threats after he testified at the House of Representatives during the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
In a statement to Chief Superintendent Joel Coronel on Monday, Canlas said he started receiving text messages from an unkown number saying:
“P******** mo jomar canlas, 3 kmi ang papatay syo, marami ka na kasalanan sa amin, magbilin ka na sa asawa mo at anak mo, bago ka mamatay. Hdi to pananakot, ds time talagang patay ka jomar.” (Son of a b****, Jomar Canlas. The three of us will kill you. You owe us a lot. Tell your family first before you die. We are not scaring you, because you’ll be dead.)
Canlas said he believed these death threats might be connected to his testimony at the House on November 26.
Canlas debunked a claim by complainant Larry Gadon that Associate Justice Teresita de Castro was the source of his story on Sereno’s alteration of a temporary restraining order against the proclamation of a senior citizens’ party-list during the 2013 elections, which the lawyer used as part of his evidence.
Canlas stood by his story and said that he never revealed who his sources were to anyone.
In a separate testimony before the House, de Castro also denied giving any information or Supreme Court documents to Canlas.
When confronted with Canlas’ statement, Gadon admitted that he could not remember if it was Canlas or someone else who “intimated” the information to him.
Aside from the Manila police, Canlas will also seek the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The impeachment proceedings against Sereno will resume today.
Sereno is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and corruption.