MALETA TAKE 2: Alleged ex-Marines press Ilonggo lawmakers’ ‘corruption ties’

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

PASAY CITY — Amid a power struggle in the Senate, 18 men claiming to be former members of the Philippine Marine Corps repeated before senators their allegation that several members of Congress, including some Ilonggo representatives, received luggage loads of cash.

The alleged former PMC personnel and their legal counsel, lawyer Levito Baligod, appeared at the Senate plenary on Thursday in what was described as a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing.

The appearance came a day after a Senate leadership shake-up on Wednesday, June 3, that saw Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian elected Senate president pro tempore and designated acting Senate president, a move that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his allies disputed.

Despite the meeting being labeled as a hearing, Philstar.com reported that there were no personnel from the Office of the Senate Secretary or committee stenographers present to record the proceedings.

Baligod reiterated the controversial affidavit presented to the media and filed with the Office of the Ombudsman in February.

During the hearing, the group repeated allegations in their affidavit, which named Reps. Julienne Baronda of Iloilo City’s lone district, Janette Garin of Iloilo’s 1st District, James Ang Jr. of Uswag Ilonggo party-list, and former Rep. Raoul Manuel of Kabataan party-list, among others.

As they did in their affidavit, they alleged that they brought out luggage loads of cash retrieved from townhouses in Makati City.

But the allegations did not stop there.

One of the alleged former PMC personnel, Rosebert Waupan, claimed he had met now-Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog, who also served as a special adviser to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, at the Midas Hotel in Pasay City.

Mabilog, a former Iloilo City mayor, was appointed DILG undersecretary for public safety in May, according to Malacañang and the Philippine Information Agency.

Waupan narrated that Mabilog, among others, met with foreigners allegedly connected to the International Criminal Court who had been billeted at the hotel for their investigation.

“When they first came in December 2023, they conducted two activities, one was when they met with Sonny Trillañes and another when they went to the townhouse [in Makati], and then they came back in October 2024, that was when we saw subsequent activities at Midas, because that was the foreigners’ venue for their investigation,” he narrated.

“We saw there the witnesses that they interviewed, and I’ll give you one example, [Mabilog]. I was the one who fetched him at the Midas lobby and brought him to the 10th floor where the foreigners were,” he added.

The Ilonggo representatives had already denied the allegations in February.

Baronda on Wednesday, June 3, filed complaints with the National Prosecution Service against the alleged former PMC members and Baligod for cyberlibel under Republic Act No. 10175 and perjury under the Revised Penal Code.

Garin, for her part, reposted a DZRH report on Thursday in which National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag said they had information indicating that the alleged former PMC members were given PHP 5 million each by former Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor.

Manuel posted two public statements on his personal Facebook account.

The first, posted at 12:20 PM, read: “Fake Blue Ribbon Committee. Fake testimonials. #Marites”.

The second, posted at 3:46 PM, showed a photo of him and luggage at a youth summit, with the caption: “Due to public demand triggered by some fake testimonials from fake blue ribbon committee: Nagbabalik ang ating game show! Hulaan ang laman ng maleta! Winner takes all!” with laughing emojis.