Senator Rodante Marcoleta affirmed that his high regard for Master Sergeant Orly Guteza remains intact despite the soldier issuing an August 19 statement that contradicted his previous Senate Blue Ribbon Committee testimony.
Marcoleta noted that the sudden shift in narrative was fully expected considering the extreme duress the witness allegedly endured.
“My respect for MSgt Guteza has not been diminished by the release of his completely different statement on August 19, 2026,” Marcoleta stated.
“It was unsurprisingly expected as it was obviously understandable given the ordeal he was subjected to,” he added.
During a September 25, 2025 Senate hearing, Guteza originally implicated high-profile figures—including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co—in the alleged diversion of billions in flood control funds.
However, Marcoleta emphasized that the subsequent change in story should not tarnish the soldier’s character, urging the public to consider claims that Guteza and his family faced intense intimidation.
Highlighting a leaked phone conversation between Guteza and his wife, Marcoleta pointed out that the soldier was kept isolated after testifying and was coerced into signing a pre-drafted document. In that call, Guteza reportedly reassured his wife that he only signed the forced declaration to guarantee his family’s safety from imminent danger.
The lawmaker clarified that he was raising these factors without questioning Guteza’s honor or devotion to duty, arguing that the latest statement must be evaluated under the lens of systemic pressure.
Comparing the two accounts, Marcoleta stressed that Guteza’s initial testimony was comprehensive and rooted in direct personal knowledge, whereas the recent recantation amounted to a generic denial.
To support his legal stance, Marcoleta cited the jurisprudence set in People v. Manlapaz (G.R. No. 254747, July 13, 2022), maintaining that a vague, subsequent denial carries negligible weight when measured against detailed, sworn testimony.
Addressing allegations aimed at him and former Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor, Marcoleta dismissed claims that they conspired with Guteza—a stranger to him at the time—or fabricated a complex story involving cash-filled luggages during a brief restaurant meeting. He maintained it was physically impossible to vet a stranger, gain his trust, draft a detailed plot, and return to the Senate within a matter of minutes.
Marcoleta reaffirmed that the situation would not deter efforts to expose corruption.
“Rather than feel dismay and defeat by the situation of Guteza, and the millions of our countrymen who suffer repression for seeking accountability and justice, we must strengthen our resolve,” he said.