FORMER Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and the Office of the Ombudsman have brushed off the recent recantation of ex-Marine Orly Guteza regarding alleged cash deliveries to former Speaker Martin Romualdez, describing the move as predictable and irrelevant to the broader corruption investigation.
In an affidavit dated August 13, Guteza recanted his previous claims connecting Romualdez and former Rep. Zaldy Co to a massive flood control scandal.
Guteza claimed he was paid and pressured by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former Rep. Mike Defensor—both currently detained on plunder charges—to manufacture allegations.
The ex-Marine alleged that Marcoleta personally coached him and edited his affidavit at a Pasay City restaurant just prior to his September 2025 Senate testimony.
Lacson stated on Thursday that Guteza’s backtracking came as no surprise, pointing to earlier Senate CCTV footage showing the witness spending half an hour in Marcoleta’s office before testifying.
“Since it is on record that Marcoleta coached Guteza, it is not surprising that Guteza would backtrack on his claims,” Lacson remarked, criticizing the double-dealing behavior of key witnesses attempting to gain financially from the ongoing scandal.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the retraction as a “classic pressure tactic,” asserting that the government’s multibillion-peso plunder, graft, and money laundering case against Romualdez does not depend on a single testimony.
“The entire investigation does not revolve around a single or even a handful of witnesses,” the Ombudsman said in an official statement, revealing that 28 active-duty uniformed personnel remain prepared to deliver direct and material evidence regarding the transactions.
The oversight agency warned that any attempts to obstruct or disrupt the proceedings would be met with the full force of the law.
Despite the high-profile recantation, authorities maintain that the overarching investigation into the alleged flood control bribery scheme remains on solid footing.
