(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — There are 28 more individuals who can provide direct and material knowledge of the transactions being investigated in the case involving former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Office of the Ombudsman said, a day after the supposed key witness recanted on his testimony.
“Recantation is not new in high-profile cases. This is a classic pressure tactic,” the Ombudsman said in a statement.
“The entire investigation does not revolve around a single or even a handful of witnesses,” it said, stressing that the case does not hinge on Guteza’s testimony alone.
Without identifying the specific agencies or positions of the 28 witnesses, the Ombudsman said they were people in uniform and still actively in service.
The agency also warned those who have been or will be placed under legal process that "cooperation was not a choice but an obligation under the law."
“Anyone who dares to obstruct, interfere with or disrupt the proceedings of the Ombudsman will face the full force of the law,” it added.
Guteza, an alleged former Marine and security aide to former lawmaker Zaldy Co, alleged that he delivered suitcases containing cash to Romualdez but later recanted his testimony, saying he had been used to implicate the former Speaker.
Romualdez counter-affidavit
Meanwhile, Romualdez will submit a supplemental counter-affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, attaching sworn statements from 25 former drivers and security aides of former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, his lawyer and spokesman said.
Counsel Ade Fajardo said the submission would also include the reported recantation of Guteza.
“They have come forward and directly contradicted the earlier accounts of the 18 Maleta Boys presented by Atty. (Levito) Baligod,” Fajardo said, referring to the counsel of the former Marines.
The 25 former personnel denied delivering money to Romualdez or other politicians or government officials and claimed they were encouraged to join a group of witnesses in exchange for money, with affidavits already prepared for them.
“According to them, no delivery of money took place involving any politician or government official, including Rep. Romualdez. They were merely urged to join a group of witnesses in exchange for money, and affidavits had already been prepared for them,” Fajardo said in Filipino.
“The accounts are conflicting. Some are retracting their statements. New witnesses are claiming they have no personal knowledge of the allegations,” he added.
Romualdez has been tagged as a “central figure” in the diversion of public funds intended for flood control projects amounting to billions.
Guteza’s recantation and the 25 former aides’s statements, however, are clear proof that there is no solid evidence that would tie Romualdez to anomalies, Fajardo asserted.
“We remain confident that in a fair investigating body, we will prove that the accusations against Rep. Romualdez are baseless,” Fajardo said.
'Not surprising'
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Guteza's recantation was not surprising, considering that he was identified as a "coached" witness during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing last year.
Lacson said Guteza's backtracking was foreseeable after he was "coached" by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta during the hearing on Sept. 23, 2025 and after some of the "Maleta boys" did the same earlier.
"Since it is on record that Marcoleta coached Guteza, it is not surprising that Guteza would backtrack on his claims someday," Lacson said in a statement.
"The backtracking of the 'maleta boys' has become a dime a dozen so it's not surprising that Guteza, the original 'Maleta Boy' a.k.a. Basura, followed suit," he added.
Lacson said the case of Guteza and the other "Maleta boys" smacked of attempts to personally gain from their alleged involvement in the flood control mess.
"In the words of swindlers, it's 'lagareng hapon' or 'doble kita,' or 40-40 vision," the senator said.
Marcos vs Duterte
Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino-Dee said he understood that Guteza’s testimony on bringing bags of money to the house of Romualdez was important to the case of the Office of the Ombudsman.
The organizer of the Trillion Pesos March against corruption said that that Guteza's recantation proved that the camps of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the vice president were using the flood control issue to politically attack each other.
“I think it’s clear at this point that the Marcos and Duterte camps are simply using the flood control issue to attack each other politically. While I’m curious about the Ombudsman’s eventual case against Romualdez, I think the only way we’re going to see genuine accountability on this is if the new administration after the 2028 election is independent of Marcos, Romualdez, and Duterte,” Aquino-Dee said in a Messenger chat to The Manila Times. “I understood Guteza’s testimony to be important to the Ombudsman’s case, but we'll see if it can hold up once it's filed. I hope it can,” he added. WITH A REPORT FROM ARIC JOHN SY CUA
