Marcoleta questions Lacson for not probing cash delivery claims of ‘ex-Marines’

Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Monday questioned Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on why the Blue Ribbon Committee did not hold a hearing on the claims of the 18 alleged former Marines, who claimed to have delivered suitcases of cash from former Congressman Zaldy Co to various government officials.

“Sila po ay nagpahayag ng kanilang mga nalalaman tungkol dito sa malupit na pandarambong sa kaban ng bayan [...] Bukod pa rito, isa sa mga nagsalitang ex-Marines ang tumestigong isinama siya ni Zaldy Co nang maghatid daw ng limang malalaking maleta sa bahay ng Pangulo sa Ilocos Norte,” said Marcoleta, who previously chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee, in his privilege speech. 

(They came forward with what they know regarding this brutal plunder of the nation's coffers [...] Furthermore, one of the former Marines who spoke out testified that he was brought along by Zaldy Co to allegedly deliver five large suitcases to the President's house in Ilocos Norte.) 

“Pero ano po ang ginawa ng Chairman ng BRC? Sa halip na iharap sa taong bayan at diretsahang tanungin sa kanilang mga pahayag, kaagad na pinag-alinlanganan ang kanilang kredibilidad. Bago pa man masuri ang kanilang mga salaysay sa harap ng Senado, tila ay nabuo na ang konklusyon sa mismong Chairman na dapat sana ay magsiyasat nito,” he added. 

(But what did the Chairman of the BRC do? Instead of presenting them to the public and questioning their statements directly, their credibility was immediately cast into doubt. Even before their testimonies could be examined before the Senate, it seems the Chairman—who is supposed to investigate this—had already reached a conclusion.) 

It can be recalled that Lacson earlier said that individuals should avoid citing numbers they cannot defend with reasonable probabilities, referring to the allegations of the 18 individuals of an P805-billion cash delivery scheme.

“I am not alone in doubting the credibility of the statements attributed to the 18 ‘ex-Marine’ personnel, since many have shared my computation,” said Lacson. 

In response to calls to summon the alleged former Marines for a hearing, Lacson also emphasized then that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's mandate is to uncover factual truth rather than provide a stage for unsubstantiated allegations.

Further, Marcoleta questioned the Senate Pro Tempore for not summoning other personalities involved in the flood control mess. 

“We are now seeing a clear pattern in this mumbo-jumbo – that whenever a witness points to former Speaker (Martin) Romualdez as being linked to the controversy, the credibility of that witness is quickly placed in question,” he said. 

The senator also cited that in one of Lacson’s interviews, the Blue Ribbon Committee chair acknowledged that at least five Cabinet secretaries and other officials held billions in "allocables" in the 2025 budget. But Marcoleta argued that Lacson did not name all the tagged officials. 

“So one cannot help but wonder if the Chairman himself knew about their identities and their involvement in this whole mess, why were they not summoned in the succeeding Senate investigations? Were certain individuals being shielded from scrutiny,” said Marcoleta. 

Marcoleta was also puzzled as to why Lacson had never invited former Department of Justice Undersecretary Jojo Cadiz, who resigned after being tagged as a “bagman” in the flood control mess, in any of the Blue Ribbon panel’s hearings. 

“Given the seriousness of these allegations, one cannot help but ask: Why has Usec. Cadiz not yet been invited to testify before the BRC? The public deserves answers, but some key witnesses remain uninvited,” he said. 

Moreover, Marcoleta alleged that Lacson has never released the partial committee report by the Blue Ribbon Committee. 

“Natapos ang Disyembre 2025 – walang report (December 2025 ended—no report),” he said. 

“Are we supposed to depend solely on the capacity and perhaps the willingness of our staff to produce a report that the Filipino people have long been waiting for? A report that is not merely a formality, but a duty we owe to the public we serve.” 

Lacson responds 

For his part, Lacson said that he already told Senate President Vicente Sotto III that he would comment on Marcoleta’s allegations on Tuesday. 

“Nagsabi na ako may SP na bukas ay sasagutin ko punto por punto ang kulang na kulang sa research at fact-check niyang privilege speech,” he said in a statement. 

Lacson also argued that Marcoleta’s office had already received a copy of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s partial committee report. 

“For one, I have it on record that his office already received a copy of the BRC partial committee report as early as February 11, both hard and soft copies but he has not signed it even with a ‘I dissent’ remark,” he said. 

“It follows that as chairman I was the first to sign before routing the same contrary to his claim that I did not.” 

“I don’t know how he can lie through his teeth in his privilege speech,” Lacson further said. —RF, GMA Integrated News