A trafficking entrapment operation at a Manila five-star hotel has spiraled into a broader political controversy, with the National Bureau of Investigation moving to compel two sitting and former lawmakers to answer questions about an alleged conspiracy to discredit Executive Secretary Ralph Recto. NBI Director Melvin Matibag announced Friday, July 31, 2026, that subpoenas had been signed against former Negros Oriental 1st District Representative Jacinto “Jing” Paras and Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste.
How a Trafficking Arrest Opened a Wider Investigation
The chain of events began on a Tuesday when NBI-National Capital Region agents conducted an entrapment operation inside a five-star hotel in Manila. According to NBI Director Matibag, a talent manager was apprehended after allegedly receiving ₱500,000 in marked money. Five women found during the operation were rescued and are now being treated as survivors of trafficking; authorities are not publicly identifying them. The suspect has since been formally charged with qualified trafficking in persons.
Matibag said NBI intelligence had initially indicated that the suspect was facilitating the procurement of women and men for politicians, businessmen, and members of the uniformed services. It was only during follow-up questioning that the suspect allegedly revealed an entirely separate scheme — one aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Executive Secretary Recto.
The Alleged Frame-Up: What the Affidavit Says
Based on the suspect’s affidavit, the alleged plan involved recruiting the suspect and four women to make false accusations against Recto, specifically claiming that the Executive Secretary had coerced them into taking illegal drugs and engaging in sexual acts. Each of the five individuals was purportedly promised ₱1 million in exchange for their participation in the fabricated narrative, the NBI said.
The affidavit names Paras as the person who allegedly made contact to initiate the arrangement. Leviste, meanwhile, is identified in the same document as the alleged source of funds behind the scheme. Investigators noted that the group had been anticipating a 30-percent down payment in the week following the entrapment — a transfer that never materialised once agents moved in.
Matibag confirmed that the NBI is now conducting a forensic examination of the arrested suspect’s mobile phone in an effort to establish whether communications with Paras or Leviste can be corroborated through digital evidence.
Subpoenas Issued; Appearances Required Next Week
With the subpoenas signed on Friday, both Paras and Leviste have been directed to present themselves before NBI investigators the following week. Matibag made clear that the proper venue for addressing the allegations is the investigators’ offices — not social media platforms — underscoring the seriousness with which the bureau is treating the matter.
Paras Denies Any Involvement
Paras, a native of Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental who formerly represented the province’s 1st District in Congress, rejected the accusations through a post on his personal Facebook account. “Wala pong katutuhanan yan. There is no truth to that,” he wrote, characterising the allegations as politically driven fabrications designed to damage his standing.
Notably, Paras’s post did not mention Recto by name, referring instead to “a top official of the government.” He also stopped short of confirming whether he would comply with the NBI subpoena, saying only that he would respond “at the proper time.” By Friday evening, the post had accumulated more than 1,100 reactions and upwards of 120 comments, reflecting significant public attention.
Leviste Silent on Frame-Up Allegation
Batangas Representative Leviste, for his part, had not publicly addressed the frame-up allegation or the NBI subpoena as of Friday. Posts on his verified Facebook account over the preceding day focused instead on an unverified claim that an unnamed senior government official had been seen with women at Rockwell. Leviste stated he had no personal involvement in that matter, accused the unnamed official of spreading misinformation, and questioned the editorial choices of a broadcast outlet regarding the Rockwell reference.
None of Leviste’s posts, however, referenced the NBI, Tuesday’s entrapment operation, the trafficking arrest, or the subpoena directed at him. The NBI has stressed that the Rockwell claims and all other allegations in the case originate solely from the arrested suspect and have not been independently verified. Authorities have not indicated whether charges beyond those already filed will be pursued against other individuals.
A Feud That Set the Stage
The current controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a protracted and well-documented public dispute between Recto and Leviste. In May, Leviste took to the House floor during a privilege speech to link Recto to contractor money and questionable public works transactions. The House subsequently ordered portions of that speech stricken from the record, citing an absence of evidentiary basis.
Recto retaliated by accusing Leviste of having offered him substantial sums to convince a political rival to exit the 2025 race — an accusation Leviste denied. Malacañang has characterised the quarrel as a personal dispute between the two officials and has declined to intervene, according to previous reports.
Paras: Background and Prior Controversies
During his time in Congress, Paras chaired the Committee on Transportation and Communications while representing Negros Oriental’s 1st District. He subsequently served as an undersecretary at the Department of Labor and Employment under the Duterte administration and has been publicly associated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, an organisation through which he filed complaints against various officials over the years.
This is not the first time Paras has had to deny allegations of misconduct. A 2001 report identified him among a group of legislators allegedly paid to delay a congressional inquiry into telecommunications companies — accusations he and the other named lawmakers firmly denied at the time.
By the Numbers
- ₱500,000 — marked money the arrested talent manager allegedly accepted during Tuesday’s entrapment operation
- ₱1 million — amount each of the five individuals was allegedly promised to make false accusations against Executive Secretary Recto
- 5 — women rescued by NBI agents during the hotel operation; all are being treated as trafficking survivors
- 30% — the down payment the group was allegedly expecting before the NBI operation shut down the scheme
- 1,100+ — reactions on Paras’s Facebook denial post as of Friday evening
- 120+ — comments recorded on the same post as of Friday evening
Why This Matters
The investigation pulls a former Negros Oriental congressman and a sitting Batangas lawmaker into a nationally significant controversy directly involving the country’s Executive Secretary, raising serious concerns about alleged political manipulation at the highest levels of government. The forensic examination of the suspect’s phone and the compelled appearances of Paras and Leviste before the NBI next week represent critical steps in determining whether the frame-up allegations can be substantiated beyond a single suspect’s affidavit. The case also deepens the already contentious and publicly documented rift between Recto and Leviste, giving the controversy a wider political dimension that extends well beyond its origins as a trafficking investigation.
Source: Breaking News Negros Oriental (breakingnewsnegrosoriental.com)
