16 of 18 alleged ex-Marines appear before the NBI

MANILA, Philippines — Sixteen of the 18 alleged former Marines—who claimed to be “bagmen” of former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co—on Thursday appeared before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to comply with a subpoena issued to them.

They arrived around 9:40 a.m., accompanied by their counsel Atty. Levito Baligod, who also received a subpoena.

READ: NBI subpoenas 18 alleged ex-Marines over bribery claims

Baligod said in an ambush interview that one of the two alleged ex-Marines failed to attend because his wife was giving birth. Meanwhile, the counsel did not state why the other person did not appear at the bureau.

The counsel also clarified that 16 of the 18 individuals were Marines, while two were actually in the Army.

Baligod also denied recent remarks of NBI director Melvin Matibag, such as that a retired general recruited the 103 security aides of Co and that eight of the 18 individuals were not assigned to the former congressman.

READ: NBI: Retired general recruited ‘ex-Marines’ as Co’s ‘security aides’

He also reiterated that they were not paid by anyone, emphasizing that they just want for the truth about “the billions of pesos robbed from the people’s money” to come out.

He claimed that during their appearance at the bureau, investigators told them the 18 individuals were “not suspects” but “potential witnesses.”

But Matibag said in a separate interview that the alleged Marines are “persons of interest.”

The NBI director said that since the investigation is ongoing, they can be “witnesses to the crime they are talking about, victims of the circumstance, [or] perpetrators.”

Matibag also stood firm on his earlier remark about the supposed retired general and the eight alleged ex-Marines that were assigned to Co, saying these were based on the testimony of the individual who appeared before the NBI last Friday.

He also reiterated that the actual reason that the NBI issued subpoenas to the 18 individuals, among others, was to shed light on those kinds of matters.

However, what only happened during their appearance this Thursday, according to Matibag, was only “to verify their identity,” leading to a “deadlock.”

Matibag pointed out that the NBI requested each supposed ex-Marine to write a sworn statement based on personal recollection, but they allegedly requested more time to do so.

With this, Baligod and the 18 individuals are expected to return to the bureau and bring evidence on March 17.

READ: Baligod, 18 alleged ex-Marines expected to return to NBI March 17

Defensor: I’ll continue to help ’18 ex-Marines’

Former Congressman Mike Defensor and his wife, Julie Defensor, also appeared before the NBI on Thursday morning to comply with their respective subpoenas. They were accompanied by their lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio.

Mrs. Defensor refused to respond when asked if she owns the car used by the 18 alleged ex-Marines for transportation, but the former congressman confirmed it in an ambush interview upon his arrival at the NBI.

“That’s ours, my wife and I are not divorced,” he said.

When asked if the vehicle was used to allegedly transport sums of cash to government officials and personalities, Mr. Defensor said, “No.”

Defensor reiterated that he is not involved in the joint affidavit and only helped the 18 alleged individuals, such as by providing them with transportation.

He also said he will continue to help the 18 alleged Marines, noting that they are the ones “telling the truth.”

“As long as I can help, I will help them. I will not allow what happened to (Orly) Guteza to happen to them,” he added.

Guteza, a former security aide of Co, recently appeared as a surprise witness in the Senate’s flood control probe hearing.

Defensor, along with Topacio, likewise questioned the issuance of subpoenas to the 18 alleged Marines and not to the individuals named in their affidavit, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“If you insist that there is a crime, what they point to in the affidavit should be investigated. That’s the crime,” Defensor said.

“An affidavit, duly sworn before a notary public, is entitled to full faith and credit upon its face. Believe it first, call the other party first. When the other party proves it to be untrue, then dismiss it,” said Topacio.

But Matibag reiterated the NBI’s process of gathering facts first, noting that they would also summon the named individuals in the affidavit if the evidence leads them.

READ: Defensor receives info that Orly Guteza is in the country

Last week, the NBI issued subpoenas to around 25 individuals, including the 18 alleged former Marines.

The subpoenas stem from a February 24 press conference in which Baligod introduced the 18 individuals as former Marines who claimed they had served as “bagmen” for Co and delivered P805 billion in alleged kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.

Baligod also alleged that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. masterminded the scheme and claimed the funds were distributed to several other personalities, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Co.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro recently dismissed the allegations as a “lousy script” and “not award-worthy,” saying they were merely part of a smear campaign against the president.  /apl /cb /das