Palace trashes 18 'bagmen' claims as inconsistent, unreliable

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro on Tuesday dismissed as “garbage” the allegedly inconsistent claims of the 18 individuals who claimed to have delivered kickbacks to certain government officials.

Castro said the statements of the alleged bagmen of former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co would not stand in court.

“Basura. Tutal sabi naman nila, sila ay naghahakot ng basura,” she said.

(Those [claims] are garbage. After all, they said they were hauling garbage.)

Castro was referencing the 18 men's sworn statements, in which they alleged that during their covert operations, the delivery of suitcases containing cash was commonly referred to as “taking out the trash.”

The Palace press officer noted that critics had questioned why the allegations were being relayed by the group's lawyer rather than by the 18 men themselves.

“Itong mga klase ng mga statements na ’to na pinuna rin na bakit ang abogado ang nagsasalita at hindi ’yung 18 kargador o 18 maleta boys, hindi po ito tatayo sa korte.

(These types of statements, which have also been criticized because they were made by the lawyer and not by the 18 porters or ‘maleta boys,’ will not stand in court.)

"’Yung ganitong klaseng mga statements na pabagu-bago, hindi po ito makakapasa sa masusing pag-aaral at pagsusuri ng korte,” she said.

(Such inconsistent statements will not pass the court’s thorough scrutiny and evaluation.)

Castro also reiterated that the group's claims were merely stories intended to discredit certain individuals.

“Dito pa lamang po ay makikita na natin kung anu-anong klase ang mga kuwento nila para makapanira lamang,” she said.

(From this alone, we can already see the kinds of stories they tell simply to malign others.)

GMA News Online has reached out to Baligod for his comment and will update this story once he responds.

On Monday, Castro referred to the 18 alleged bagmen as “maleta boys” and “basureros” (garbage collectors).

Atty. Levito Baligod earlier said two of the so-called “ex-Marines” had retracted their allegation that they delivered cash to Senator Loren Legarda, saying they did not actually see a suitcase being brought into the senator’s residence.

Baligod said they have yet to amend the affidavit they submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The group also claimed they delivered suitcases of cash to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Senator Vicente Sotto III, Senator Erwin Tulfo, Representative Leila de Lima, and former Representative France Castro, among others.

Malacañang has challenged the group to present evidence supporting their allegations. The other individuals named in the complaint have likewise denied the accusations.—MCG, GMA News