Day after he lambasted his colleagues at the City Council for conflict of interest, Councilor Edgar Lentorio was eating humble pie.
In a press conference held Thursday at his office, Lentorio said he was asking for forgiveness, and promised to face the consequences for helping a supplier of the City’s CoViD meals for frontliners.
“I am not angry at any of my colleagues. It is our job to investigate because it is public money.
“I did not intend to hurt my colleagues. I just wanted to let off steam, and I deeply apologize, especially to the Vice Mayor. I never realized the impact of my speech,” he said.
“And when I said I was already at the checkpoints at 6 a.m., I did not [mean to] say the others didn’t do anything. All of us were there,” he said.
Lentorio reiterated that he had no hand in selecting Aladdin Restaurant to feed the frontliners. “The decision belongs to the Bids and Awards Committee, which is fully independent. My name is not even in the BAC records. The members of the BAC are people of high integrity,” he said.
In the presscon, he recited part of his Wednesday speech before the Council that he thought his decision to help the supplier would be his way of helping the City. He once again denied benefitting from the transaction.
“Yesterday [Aug. 12] when I explained my side, my colleagues misinterpreted my speech. Upon knowing that I was misinterpreted, I was dismayed. I just lay down the whole day thinking that I was misinterpeted by my colleagues. But I don’t blame them. That’s why I am relaying my heartfelt apologies.
“I was just pouring out my emotion. My delivery didn’t come across very well. I don’t want to divert the issue that there may have been a conflict of interest.
“Perhaps, because I made a mistake in helping one person, will my good deeds be forgotten? Will I just be made to resign? What I am going through right now is no joke. I’ve been deeply bothered these past few weeks,” Lentorio said.