After recantations, what happens to Ombudsman flood control probe vs. Martin Romualdez?

The Office of the Ombudsman downplayed former soldier Orly Guteza’s recantation of his claim that he delivered millions of pesos in flood control kickbacks to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Guteza is the fourth of nine former bodyguards of former House Appropriations Committee chair Zaldy Co to recant their statements in the past two weeks, following Belnard Tube, Benny Bulontate, and Rosebert Waupan. The Ombudsman’s Special Panel of Investigators had relied on the testimonies of the nine former bodyguards to establish a money trail allegedly linking Romualdez to the corruption scheme.

“Hindi bago ang recantation sa mga high-profile case. Classic pressure tactic ito. Hindi umiikot ang buong imbestigasyon sa iisa o kahit sa iilang witnesses,” the Ombudsman said.

(Recantation is not new in high-profile cases. It is a classic pressure tactic. The entire investigation does not hinge on a single witness or even a handful of witnesses.)

The Ombudsman said 28 other witnesses who remain active in the uniformed service could have direct and material knowledge of transactions involving Romualdez.

“Sa lahat ng nabigyan na o mabibigyan pa ng legal process, hindi choice ang pakikipagtulungan. Obligasyon 'yan sa batas. Sinuman ang mangahas humadlang, mangbara o manggulo sa proceedings ng Ombudsman ay haharap sa buong bigat ng batas,” it said.

(Those who have been, or will be, subjected to legal processes have no choice but to cooperate. It is an obligation under the law. Anyone who dares to obstruct, impede, or disrupt the Ombudsman’s proceedings will face the full force of the law.)

The supplemental complaint-affidavit recommending plunder, graft, direct and indirect bribery, and money laundering charges against Romualdez said Guteza, along with two other former bodyguards, testified about the flood control project kickback scheme and the frequency of alleged deliveries to Romualdez.

“As alleged in the Complaint, Co's security personnel, namely, Orly Guteza, Christopher T. Esquivel, and Gil N. Navidad, Jr., testified regarding a systematic scheme involving the recurrent delivery of large sums of cash transported in maletas and colloquially referred to among their group as 'basura,'" it said.

The complaint-affidavit also cited Guteza’s September 24, 2025 affidavit, which he read before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and recently recanted.

Guteza and other former bodyguards also corroborated Co’s claim that P56 billion had been accumulated from flood control projects, the complaint-affidavit said.

“Such admission is further corroborated by the testimonies of Guteza, Esquivel, and Navidad regarding the frequent deliveries of maletas containing cash to properties associated with Romualdez,” it said.

The three other former bodyguards who recanted—Tube, Bulontate, and Waupan—testified about the alleged scheme’s timetable, as well as the frequency and dates of deliveries to Romualdez.

Tube was cited in the complaint-affidavit as saying that deliveries to Romualdez’s house in McKinley, Forbes Park, began as early as 2021.

“Beginning in 2021, security personnel of Team ESC were tasked to deliver basura to 42 McKinley,” it said.

In 2024, the deliveries were made to the Manila Polo Club townhouse and Narra Avenue in Forbes Park after the McKinley residence underwent renovations.

“By the middle of 2024, deliveries that had previously been made to 42 McKinley increasingly shifted to another residence of Romualdez located at Narra Avenue, Forbes Park, Makati City (‘14 Narra’) due to supposed renovations being done in McKinley,” it said.

Bulontate was cited in the complaint-affidavit as having witnessed the delivery of around 28 suitcases from Co’s Horizon Homes to McKinley in December 2022, as well as several other deliveries in 2024.

“On 3 June 2024, another delivery of approximately twenty (20) maletas was made to 14 Narra… Around the second week of November 2024, another delivery of approximately twenty (20) maletas was made to 14 Narra,” it said.

Waupan, meanwhile, testified that he overheard a conversation between Co’s aides, Mark Ticsay and Paul Estrada, about one delivery allegedly amounting to P1.1 billion.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Tube, Bulontate, and Waupan could face plunder charges along with Romualdez because of their recantations.

It remains unclear whether Guteza will also face charges. —VBL, GMA News