House prosecution panel adviser and spokesperson Ace Barbers on Friday said the decision of four members of the so-called “Maleta Boys” to withdraw their earlier allegations involving alleged multibillion-peso flood control project kickbacks shows they had been used as “pawns” in a coordinated effort to discredit top government officials and members of the House prosecution panel handling the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
At a press conference, Barbers said the recantations may have been driven by both conscience and the failure of those who recruited them to fulfill alleged promises of security and substantial financial rewards.
“Their recantations clearly show that someone prepared a script and used them to spread false allegations against senior government officials and members of the House prosecution panel,” Barbers said.
“Ang pagbawi ay nagpapakita na may nagdikta at nag-udyok sa kanila na mag-sinungaling, at ito ay isang sadyang pag-atake para siraan ang impeachment process. Malamang konsensya at napakong pangako ang dahilan ng pagbawi nila (The recantations show that someone is dictating and coercing them to lie, and this is to attack and discredit the impeachment process. The reason for their recantation is maybe their conscience and a broken promise).”
The so-called “Maleta Boys” refers to a group of 18 men claiming to be former bodyguards of former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co. They alleged that they transported suitcases containing cash to several public officials in connection with Duterte’s impeachment.
In newly executed notarized affidavits, four of their members formally withdrew all statements linking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other personalities to alleged bribery and cash deliveries.
The men claimed they were recruited into the scheme by their legal handler, lawyer Levito Baligod, who allegedly promised them substantial financial compensation.
One of the recanting members, Rosebert Macasasa Waupan, said they were promised enough money to support their families for two years.
In a televised interview, the four also claimed they did not prepare their original affidavits. Instead, they said they were instructed to sign pre-written documents before the Office of the Ombudsman and were threatened with multiple countercharges if they refused.
Waupan further alleged in his affidavit that former congressman Mike Defensor and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta were among the political figures expected to “ensure everything” regarding the group’s operation.
The four also said they spent two months deciding whether to recant because they feared for their families’ safety.
They also disclosed that several of the remaining 14 members are considering executing their own affidavits of retraction.
Before the four executed their retractions, the Department of Justice had approved 10 criminal informations against all 18 men and Baligod before four Metro Manila trial courts, consisting of six counts of cyber libel and four counts of perjury.
Barbers, who previously served as lead chair of the House Quad Committee and was himself named in the original allegations, said the recantations reinforce his belief that the group’s public appearance during a Feb. 24 press conference in San Juan City was part of a hastily organized effort to destabilize the government.
“The recantations establish several key points: the allegations were false, the participants were promised substantial financial rewards, they were pressured into signing prepared affidavits and other documents, and many, if not all, of those involved are now considering withdrawing their statements,” he said.
He challenged the four individuals to identify the people they claimed orchestrated the sworn statements.
“Ito ang pakiusap natin sa apat na ito, dapat siguro mas maging matapang pa kayo. Pangalanan n’yo sino ‘yung mga ‘yan (This is my appeal to the four men: they should be braver. Name those involved),” Barbers said.
“At kung kayo may ebidensya, ipakita n’yo na itong sinasabi ninyo ay may katotohanan, nang sa ganoon hindi naman maapektuhan itong mga taong pinangalanan nila doon sa kanilang joint affidavit (And if you have evidence, prove that what you are now saying is true, so that people named in their previous joint affidavit would not be affected),” he added.
He also urged the remaining members of the group to likewise come forward if they had been similarly misled. (PNA)