Blanquita Pelaez says Mike Defensor behind case vs Erap

From the Tribune:

It was Malacañang, through its then presidential chief of staff, Michael Defensor, now an administration senatorial candidate, who worked on the controversial Blanquita Pelaez and her daughter, beauty contestant Joelle, for them to file a bogus lawsuit against detained President Joseph Estrada.

This was bared yesterday by Blanquita herself in an interview with GMA 7’s Saksi, where she intimated that her daughter was used by Malacañang and Defensor, who had gone to the United States twice meeting with the Pelaez mother-daughter team to convince Joelle to file money laundering charges against the ousted president.

More from GMA7news:

Pelaez and her daughter arrived in the country July last year to file charges against Estrada, claiming the deposed president courted Joelle and gave her expensive gifts.

Estrada denied the charges and filed libel suits against Blanquita and Joelle, who returned to the United States shortly after filing the charges.

The elder Pelaez said Defensor met with them at least twice to convince Joelle to file a case against Estrada.

She claimed Defensor even paid for Joelle's roundtrip ticket to the Philippines, and provided her with shopping money.

"Airline ticket, mga ganyan, tapos mga hotel, everything. Of course nag-shopping naman siya (He paid for her airline ticket, hotel accommodations, everything. Of course Joelle went shopping) ... You mean to say you just used my daughter for something?" she said.

In the same Saksi report, Defensor denied the charges, but admitted the Pelaezes "consulted" him on filing the case against Estrada.

"Alam ko ang kaso na iyan dahil binanggit nila sa akin. Hindi ko ikinakaila, pero hindi ko sila itinulak o in-encourage para sa kaso na iyan (I know about the case because they mentioned it to me. I won't deny discussing it with them but I did not encourage them to file the charges)," he said.

He also denied spending for Joelle's roundtrip ticket and hotel accommodations, and giving her shopping money.

Ah, he flew to the US to "consult" with the Pelaezes? Sino kaya sa dalawa ang nagsasabi ng totoo?

From Lito Banayo:

Months ago, ex-beauty queen contestant Joelle Pelaez came to town from the US of A, claiming to whoever cared to listen that she was "gypped" and "used" by friends of deposed President Joseph Estrada, who allegedly courted her when he was yet in Malacañang.

Good copy for the salacious press, while it lasted. Soon, Joelle and mother Blanquita left town in a huff, after Estrada’s lawyers started asking why mother had not been arrested on a conviction for estafa.

Estrada sued the Pelaezes for the canard they spread. Blanquita was later, much later, interviewed by television and she confessed that she and her daughter were "used" to further demonize the Estrada that Edsa Dos tarnished. And the go-between, the agent of this "demonizing" process? Why, Miguelito el defensor de causas malas, Blanquita claims.

Twice ‘Tol pressed her in the Bay Area, Blanquita claims, to concoct the tale of Joelle. What would Mike say in his defense?

Something like this, perhaps: "It is I who went to Blanquita, yes, but it was not I who did the talking."

UPDATE: Chavit and Mike Defensor accused Erap of being the brains behind the Blanquita expose.