The Armed Forces of the Philippines has asked journalists to be precise when describing the individuals at the centre of the Senate’s flood control inquiry, stressing that they were not in active military service when the alleged acts took place.
In a public affairs notice dated June 5, 2026, AFP Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said that while several reports have collectively labelled the group “Marines” or “ex-Marines,” the description risks creating a false impression. According to the statement, the individuals were no longer in active service at the time of the acts and allegations being discussed, and any actions were taken in their private capacities rather than on behalf of the AFP.
Trinidad also clarified that not every person in the group was a former member of the Philippine Marine Corps. The notice warned that the blanket use of the term “Marines” could unintentionally suggest institutional involvement by the AFP or the Marine Corps. For accuracy, the office encouraged the use of the individuals’ actual names, or descriptions such as witnesses, affiants, or former staff and bodyguards of the personalities concerned.
The clarification, first sent to the Daily Tribune, concerns the 18 men popularly known as the “Maleta Boys,” who claim to have delivered suitcases of cash tied to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal. As reported by Philstar, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano, restored invitations to the group for its June 4 hearing on the alleged anomalies, after the invitations were earlier revoked. The 18 are represented by lawyer Levito Baligod.
GMA News reported that the same hearing also invited former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has repeatedly denied allegations of masterminding the flood control mess. Gulf News earlier reported that the group, through Baligod, tagged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Romualdez and fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co in connection with the alleged kickbacks. The Philippine Navy has disputed the group’s claims, with Gulf News reporting that some of the men were never in the service while others were dishonourably discharged.
The AFP notice is separate from an earlier clarification last month, when AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the Marines seen inside the Senate complex during a security incident were part of a regular facility security detail and were not the ones who fired shots.
