THE flood control corruption case against former speaker Martin Romualdez is far from settled, with the Office of the Ombudsman insisting Thursday that its probe will continue no matter one witness backing out, even as Romualdez’s camp claimed the reversal proves the accusations are hollow.
Prosecutors said 28 other witnesses—described only as uniformed personnel still in active service—are ready to testify to firsthand knowledge of the questioned transactions, though the office withheld their agencies and ranks. It brushed off the withdrawal of testimony by Orly Guteza as a familiar tactic. “Recantation is not new in high-profile cases. This is a classic pressure tactic,” the office said, adding that “the entire investigation does not revolve around a single or even a handful of witnesses.”
Guteza, a onetime Marine and security aide to former lawmaker Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, had claimed he handed suitcases of cash to Romualdez, then took it back, saying Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former lawmaker Mike Defensor used him to fabricate the allegations for money and scholarships for his children.
The agency, weighing complaints of plunder, graft, direct bribery, and money laundering, has previously called Romualdez a “central figure” in the diversion of flood control funds. It warned that anyone obstructing its proceedings would face the full weight of the law.
Romualdez lodged a supplemental counter-affidavit Thursday with sworn statements from 25 former drivers and security aides of Co, plus Guteza’s reversal, said his lawyer Ade Fajardo. “They have come forward and directly contradicted the earlier accounts of the 18 Maleta Boys presented by attorney Baligod,” he said, referring to Levito Baligod. The 25 denied handing money to any official and said they were offered cash to join a witness group. “The accounts are conflicting. Some are retracting their statements. New witnesses are claiming they have no personal knowledge of the allegations,” Fajardo added.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Guteza’s turnaround was no shock, noting he had been flagged as “coached” during a September 23 Blue Ribbon hearing, with Senate CCTV placing him in Marcoleta’s office beforehand. “Since it is on record that Marcoleta coached Guteza, it is not surprising that Guteza would backtrack on his claims someday,” Lacson said, adding that penalties for perjury under Republic Act 11594 are poorly enforced.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who chairs the Blue Ribbon Committee, said the Ombudsman should handle any inquiry into Guteza’s shifting statements to avoid overlapping probes. “Perjury cases should be prosecuted,” he said, adding that Guteza’s accusations against Defensor and Marcoleta also warrant scrutiny.
Trillion Peso March organizer Francis Aquino-Dee offered a bleaker read. “I do not doubt that Marcoleta [and others] tampered with Guteza’s testimony. I also think it’s far too early to rule out Romualdez’s potential involvement. I think the truth about the flood control scandal has become murkier today, not clearer,” he said.
