A sworn affidavit accusing House Speaker Martin Romualdez of involvement in anomalous flood control projects has been found to have a falsified notarization, according to a revelation during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Friday, November 14, 2025.
NBI Investigation Uncovers Forgery
Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed that an examination by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) concluded that the signature on the sworn affidavit of retired Marine Orly Regala Guteza did not match the standard specimen signatures of the lawyer named in the document, Petchie Roze Espera. Lacson stated that since Attorney Espera did not perform the notarization, her notarial details and signature on Guteza's affidavit were falsified.
Affidavit's Validity Upheld Despite Notary Issue
Despite the notarization problem, Senator Lacson was clear that the content of Guteza's sworn affidavit remains valid for the committee's purposes. He explained that the issue was solely with the notarization process and pointed out that Guteza had sworn to the truth of his statement not only in the document but also verbally before the Senate panel during its hearing on September 25.
In his testimony, Guteza, who claimed to be a former security consultant for Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co, alleged that he delivered millions of pesos in cash, referred to as "trash" and carried in suitcases, to Romualdez's residence on three separate occasions. Both Co and Romualdez have been accused of misappropriating billions of public funds intended for flood control projects.
Key Witness Missing from Latest Hearing
The Senate committee attempted to have Guteza attend the resumed hearing to provide further testimony. However, Senator Lacson reported that the retired Marine was nowhere to be found. Guteza's absence extends to other bodies investigating the matter, as he also failed to appear before the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.
This development adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing Senate investigation into the multi-billion peso flood control fund anomalies, leaving the committee to rely on the sworn statement that, while legally problematic in its notarization, is still considered a part of the official record.
