The Office of the Ombudsman disclosed that state investigators found the testimonies of eight former Marines to be detailed and uniform regarding the alleged delivery of funds to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co.
Speaking at a press briefing, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano clarified that while investigators noted the consistency of the claims, the final judgment on whether the witnesses are believable rests solely with the judiciary.
“The investigators seem to find those narration of facts as it relates to the money being delivered to the former Speaker [Romualdez] and to Zaldy categorical and consistent as to those facts. But as for the rest, we will not focus on that. What we are focusing on and what seems to be categorical and consistent are those statements as it relates to the money being delivered to Zaldy and the former Speaker,” he said.
Clavano emphasized that the anti-graft agency focuses strictly on the alignment of the narratives during the initial evaluation process rather than declaring ultimate credibility.
“[Using the word ‘credible’] is for the Courts to decide. For us naman, we are looking at the individual statements and we look at their consistency. Of course the investigators have been able to study, siguro, the body language, the demeanor of the affiants, and they are of the opinion that we can use it. So, sa amin lang, sana mapirmahan na. Sana magamit na namin sa kaso,” he said.
Out of the pool of witnesses, only eight individuals provided direct, firsthand details deemed useful to the investigation involving the former Speaker.
Clavano expressed slight frustration over delays in finalizing the documents, noting that legal counsel requested more time to review them.
“Walo. Eight of 18, or 8 of 22 seem to be of help to us, especially when it relates to the case of the former Speaker. It’s just that since June 20, supposedly it’s on review by the lawyers, but until this day, actually they were supposed to sign it today and then they asked for another extension naman,” he said.
“But these affidavits are quite straightforward. Hindi naman masyado mahaba so, [in] minutes the lawyers can go over it and see kung okay na ba, informative substance. Pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa natin nakukuha. Simple bagay,” he went on.
To ensure legal precision, the Ombudsman’s team chose to break down the original, collective statement into independent accounts. This strategy was implemented because several of the ex-Marines lacked direct knowledge of the transactions.
“The others don’t have a first-hand account of the actual delivery. Kaya namin splinit ‘yung mga affidavits, hindi lang isa, kasi alam namin talaga na ‘yung iba doon wala naman talagang personal knowledge doon sa actual delivery. Kaya ini-split namin ‘yung joint affidavit to individual affidavits so we can really assess per person kung ano talagang nakita nila,” he said.
According to Clavano, separating the documents strengthens the integrity of the witness testimonies by isolating individual observations.
“That makes the statements more credible, if I may, because it comes from the perspective of one person. Kasi mahirap naman paniwalaan na ‘yung buong 18 sama-sama sila, lahat ng ginagawa ng isa, ginagawa ng 18 or 21,” he said.
Despite the breakthrough in the investigation, Clavano concluded with a reminder that the documents hold no legal weight yet since they have not been signed or sworn to under oath.
“It’s a mere scrap of paper right now kasi hindi pa siya pirmado. It’s not under oath. But they seem to be cooperative, willing to sign already, ‘yung mga affiants mismo. Pero syempre we also want the lawyer to review ‘yung kanilang mga statements para everything is onboard, and it’s a part of their rights to seek counsel,” he said.