MANILA, Philippines - Lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona submitted on Monday their explanation on why they should not be cited in contempt by the Senate impeachment court for saying that Malacañang offered P100 million in "soft projects" to senators who were allegedly pro-Corona.

In their explanation, the Corona defense team said they did not say that the senators were bribed or that their votes could be influenced by outside parties. They said they told reporters that they respect the senator-judges and that they trust the senators to follow the Constitution.

They added that they exposed the alleged Palace plot in order to protect the Senate from any attempt to compromise their integrity.

In a press conference last February 12, defense lawyer Dennis Manalo said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. had been contacting senator-judges not to honor the halt order issued by the Supreme Court on the Senate order to open Corona's dollar accounts. The defense team said they are ready to go to jail if the Senate cites them in contempt.

The defense team's press conference happened before the Senate decided on whether or not to honor the SC temporary restraining order (TRO). The Senate later voted 13-10 to respect the SC TRO.

Senators criticized the defense lawyers for calling for the press conference, saying they could be held in contempt. Report from Jing Castañeda, ABS-CBN News