Zaldy Co aide: I turned down P15M offer to recant allegations vs Romualdez

Zaldy Co's former aide said Thursday that he turned down millions of pesos being offered to him to recant his allegations against former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Rodante Orbillo, a witness for the prosecution, made the testimony during Day 3 of the bail hearing of Romualdez, who is in detention due to a P7.4 billion plunder case.

“P15 million pataas,” Orbillo said when asked by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Ronald Moreno how much the money offer was.

(P15M and higher.)

Orbillo later said the offer even reached as high as P20 million and that there was also a case of P8 million.

Asked by Moreno why he turned down the offer of money, Orbillo said he needs to stand for the truth since he was previously falsely accused of frustrated murder in the past.

“Ito na lang po ang totoong nangyari sa buhay ko, iyong trabaho kay Cong Zaldy Co. Kaya hindi niya ako nakumbinsi,” Orbillo said, referring to Benny Bulontante, one of the accusers of Romualdez who later recanted.

(This is the only thing that remains real in my life —my work with Cong. Zaldy Co. That is why he couldn’t convince me.)

Orbillo said that Bulontante accepted the offer of money to recant, but he could not say how much it was.

'Maleta'

Asked by the prosecution panel how he was able to ascertain that it was the house of Romualdez in 14 Narra in Forbes Park, Orbillo said it is because he saw Romualdez’s personal driver, Bobby, in the said house.

“Nasa maleta po, bundled na. Maamoy niyo po iyong bagong pera. Nasusuya na nga po ako [sa amoy].” Orbillo said of cash deliveries to Romualdez.

(The money was in suitcases. You can smell the scent of newly printed money.)

“Bago po dalhin kay Cong Martin, bibilangin po muna [sa bahay ni Zaldy Co],” Orbillo added.

(Before bringing them to Cong Martin, we count the money in Zaldy Co’s house.)

Orbillo also testified he delivered money to Romualdez in three other locations.

Likewise, Orbillo said that he delivered alleged kickbacks to Senator Vicente Sotto III, former Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV from 2022 to 2024.

Trillanes was a Senator from 2007 to 2016. But he was not a senator in 2022 as he lost during the elections.

Sotto was also not a Senator from 2022 to 2025, which covers the years Co served as House appropriations chair.

Quimbo, meanwhile, served as House appropriations panel chair senior vice chair from 2022 to 2024.

GMA News Online is still seeking comment from incumbent and former lawmakers in connection with Orbillo’s allegations. —VAL, GMA News