Lawyer Levi Baligod has walked back part of the evidence used against Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan in the long-running “maleta” controversy, conceding that the photograph presented to tie the senator to alleged cash deliveries was not the correct image.
The clarification came during his appearance on “The Spokes” on the Bilyonaryo News Channel, where Baligod — who serves as counsel and spokesman for the group of former security personnel behind the allegations — acknowledged the error in the material that had circulated alongside Pangilinan’s name.
The admission marks the latest in a series of retractions and corrections Baligod has issued as the accusations have widened. The controversy traces back to a set of former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co, who claim they personally delivered suitcases and bags stuffed with cash to a roster of officials and public figures. As more names surfaced, several of those tagged have pushed back hard, and Baligod himself has had to concede that some inclusions were not supported by the evidence.
Pangilinan was drawn into the matter at a June 16 news conference in Quezon City led by former Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor, where Co’s purported “bag-men” introduced fresh testimony and displayed photographs they said backed their statements. Among the images shown was one of Pangilinan and his wife, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, pictured with several of Co’s staff.
The senator rejected the allegation outright. In a written statement titled “Statement on Suitcases,” he dismissed the accusations as lacking any solid basis. “Puro pasaring. Puro alegasyon. Puro palabas,” he said. Pangilinan argued the claims were designed to damage his credibility, pointing to their timing against reports about his standing in the Senate.
His reaction sharpened after his family was pulled into the issue, prompting him to drop his earlier approach of answering only through public statements. “At dahil dinamay niyo pa ang pamilya ko, makakatikim kayo ng hindi pasaring, alegasyon, o palabas na kaso sa korte. Pananagutan ninyo ang paninirang ginagawa niyo,” he warned, signaling he would take the matter to court.
Cuneta, for her part, has firmly denied any connection between herself or her husband and the allegations raised by Co’s former aides.
Baligod’s reversal on Pangilinan echoes earlier corrections in the same saga. He previously withdrew the claim against Senator Loren Legarda, telling reporters on June 8 that a March review of the allegations had turned up no adequate evidence linking her to any cash handoff. Months before that, he conceded that placing Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on the list of supposed recipients may have been an oversight on his part, explaining she had been added only because she was said to have joined meetings concerning the International Criminal Court.
The credibility of the testimony has drawn skepticism from within the Senate as well, with some senators questioning the coherence of the witnesses’ accounts and noting that Baligod, who was not himself involved in any deliveries, has at times spoken to events he had no direct knowledge of.
