The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has found that allegations of cash deliveries in the flood control controversy remain unproven due to the absence of independent evidence, corroborating documents, and witnesses with personal knowledge.
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s consultative meeting on Monday, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the joint affidavit submitted by a group of former bodyguards of fugitive lawmaker Zaldy Co was insufficient to establish probable cause, noting that most of the statements were based on hearsay rather than on what the affiants personally witnessed.
“Walang dokumento, device o physical evidence na sumusuporta sa mga alegasyon. Halimbawa, walang CCTV footage, resibo o cellphone records. Wala po. Ang ebidensya ay puro salita lamang (There are no documents, devices, or physical evidence supporting the allegations. For example, there are no CCTV [closed-circuit television] footage, receipts, or cellular phone records. None. The evidence consists only of words),” Matibag told the committee.
Matibag said the NBI gave the group sufficient time to submit corroborative evidence —whether testimonial, material, or physical—but no such evidence was provided.
He said the affidavits also showed that several witnesses did not personally see the contents of the bags they claimed were used in cash deliveries.
“Ang laman ng bag ay kadalasang hinuhulaan lang, hindi actual na nakita (The contents of the bags were often only presumed, not actually seen),” Matibag said.
According to the NBI’s evaluation, only 10 percent to 20 percent of the statements were based on personal knowledge, while the majority relied on accounts allegedly heard from other members of the group, executive assistants, or group chats.
Matibag said this weakened the probative value of the affidavits, especially since the statements were not subjected to cross-examination.
He added the group’s use of the “ex-Marine” label also raised credibility concerns, as the NBI found that not all members were former Marines and that several had been dishonorably discharged.
“Sa korte, ebidensya ang mahalaga, hindi ang label o titulo (In court, evidence matters, not labels or titles),” Matibag said.
The NBI chief also flagged what he described as signs of coordinated testimony, saying the affidavit appeared to have been built from a collective narrative rather than from independent recollections.
He said coordinated statements do not automatically constitute reliable evidence, particularly when the court cannot clearly determine where personal observation ends and a rehearsed narrative begins.
“In the totality, hindi napatunayan ang mga alegasyon base sa ebidensyang iniharap (the allegations were not proven based on the evidence presented),” Matibag said.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Committee, said the 18 former bodyguards and their lawyer, Levito Baligod, were invited to attend Monday’s meeting but chose not to appear before the panel.
Tulfo said they were reportedly inside the Senate building, at the office of Senator Robinhood Padilla, but declined to join the consultative meeting.
He said the committee would invite them again once it is fully constituted and proceeds with formal hearings. (PNA)