MANILA. Several current and former lawmakers, along with other personalities implicated in allegations raised by the 18 ex-Marines, have strongly denied claims that they received millions of pesos allegedly delivered in suitcases, paper bags, and envelopes, with many vowing to pursue legal action against their accusers.
The denials came after the former military personnel made allegations during a flood control probe initiated by the Senate bloc led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, linking a number of politicians, activists, and religious leaders to purported cash payouts.
Lawmakers Deny Allegations
Former Surigao del Norte representative Robert Ace Barbers dismissed the allegations and described the proceedings as a political maneuver intended to shift public attention away from the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“While I cannot comment on the case I filed against these people, I would like to point out that the ongoing meeting is a serious political destabilization effort and meant to divert attention from the impeachment of VP Sara to the alleged flood control scandal,” Barbers said in a statement.
He also questioned the credibility of the testimony presented during the inquiry. “Not a single one of them ever saw nor touched the alleged money. All they are saying are maletas, paper bags and envelopes,” he said, adding that the accusations amounted to "storytelling" unsupported by evidence.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV likewise rejected claims that he received cash from former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, which the ex-marines said was intended for the International Criminal Court (ICC) judges who visited the country in 2023 and 2024.
“Again, I categorically deny na tumanggap ako ng pera mula kay Zaldy Co para ibigay sa ICC or for any other purpose,” Trillanes said. He noted that the ICC itself had already denied receiving money from him or any other individual in relation to cases involving the Philippines, particularly against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands over alleged crime against humanity in the country in relation to the implementation of his drug war.
“Dahil diyan sa inulit na sinabi nila, kakasuhan ko ulit sila (Because of what they have repeatedly said, I will file a case against them again),” he added. In March, Trillanes filed cyberlibel complaints at the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the 18 alleged former Marines, their legal counsel Levito Baligod, former Quezon City representative Mike Defensor, former broadcaster Jay Sonza, vlogger Cathy Binag, and Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, a former spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, over the said claims.
The ex-marines claimed to have served as driver and security detail of Co and were directly involved in the delivery of millions worth of cash to several government officials.
Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro, a member of the House prosecution panel in the impeachment case against Duterte, also denied the allegations. “Mariin ko pong pinabubulaanan ang mga paratang ng mga umano'y 18 ex-Marines (I strongly deny the allegations of the so-called 18 former Marines),” Luistro said.
Former senator and current Mamamayang Liberal Party-list representative Leila de Lima said she had already filed libel, cyberlibel, and perjury complaints against those behind the accusations. “Whether sa maleta, sa paper bag o anuman yan, wala akong tinatanggap na pera (Whether it is in a suitcase, a paper bag, or anything else, I do not accept any money),” De Lima said. She described the allegations as fabricated and claimed the accusations were merely repeated during what she called a questionable Senate hearing. “Hindi na rin nakapagtataka na nagkakabuhol-buhol ang kwento at paratang sa akin dahil imbento lang ang mga pinagsasabi nila (It is no longer surprising that the stories and accusations against me are getting tangled, because what they are saying is just made up),” she added.
Former Makabayan bloc lawmakers France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel condemned the allegations as a "desperate act of political demolition" aimed at protecting the Duterte family. In a joint statement, the three former legislators denied claims that they had received money through paper bags allegedly handed over during meetings with Co. “Mariin at lubusan naming pinabubulaanan ang mga paratang na ito. Ang buong kwento — na kami raw ay madalas nakikipagkita kay Zaldy Co at umaalis na may dalang mga paper bag — ay isang nakakahiyang kasinungalingan,” they said. (We strongly and completely deny these allegations. The entire story -- that we supposedly often met with Zaldy Co and left carrying paper bags -- is an embarrassing lie.)
The former lawmakers argued that Makabayan could not be linked to alleged flood control anomalies because its members did not have infrastructure allocations or project nominations. The group also suggested the allegations were timed to coincide with the impending impeachment proceedings against Duterte and the ICC trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Manila Representative Joel Chua, another member of the House prosecution team, said inconsistencies in the testimonies undermined their credibility. He noted that one affidavit alleged he received a suitcase at the House of Representatives, while later testimony claimed the handover took place at a townhouse. “Dito, kitang-kita ang pagsisinungaling nila. Magkaibang venue na ang sinasabi nila (Here, their lies are clearly exposed. They are already referring to different venues),” he said. Chua said the accusations appeared intended to discredit members of the prosecution panel handling the impeachment case.
Former Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III also rejected allegations involving a former executive assistant. "I will not dignify such because I was not a senator from 2022 to 2025," Sotto said. He pointed out that the aide identified in the testimony had died years ago. "The name they mentioned na EA ko raw na tumanggap ay si Mark. Mark died in 2015," he said. "I'll just see them in court."
The camp of Rev. Fr. Flaviano Antonio Villanueva, SVD, likewise categorically denied allegations that the priest received money through an envelope and a suitcase allegedly delivered in Quezon City. In a statement, Villanueva's camp said the accusations were false, malicious, and unsupported by evidence. "The witness publicly attributed to Fr. Villanueva acts and transactions that never occurred," the statement read. It also challenged the factual basis of the allegations, noting that no specific church matching the witness's description exists along Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City. The group said legal action had already been initiated against those responsible for the allegations.
The allegations surfaced amid an increasingly heated political climate marked by the impeachment proceedings against Duterte and continuing developments in the ICC case involving former president Rodrigo Duterte. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
