Sandro Marcos: 18 ex-bodyguards' allegations part of destabilization effort

House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte on Wednesday said the allegations made by 18 former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co are false and part of efforts to destabilize the government.

Marcos issued the statement after the former bodyguards of Co on Tuesday linked more individuals to alleged cash deliveries, claiming they had delivered money to Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairperson George Garcia, Senator Francis Escudero, and some media personalities.

“Kahapon, biglang sumali si Senator Escudero sa majority, biglang siya may maleta. Pati si Mary Grace Piattos sa susunod na hearing baka may maleta rin. So let’s call a spade a spade. It’s all BS,” Marcos said.

(Yesterday, Senator Escudero joined the [Senate] majority, and suddenly he [is accused of receiving] a suitcase. Perhaps, even Mary Grace Piattos might have a suitcase in the next hearing. So let’s call a spade a spade. It’s all BS.)

“Mary Grace Piattos” is not known as a public official or a real person, but it is a name that became a central figure during congressional hearings and Commission on Audit (COA) discussions on confidential and intelligence funds involving Vice President Sara Duterte.

According to Marcos, the allegations raised by the 18 bodyguards do not deserve attention.

“Is it really worth it? Do we still give them publicity? We’re here to finish a lot of work that’s far more important than those who are planning these destabilization efforts against the government," he said.

He, however, did not specify who was behind the supposed destabilization effort.

"Let’s go to work,” Marcos said on the sidelines of the ongoing special session of Congress called by the President.

The special session was convened to approve priority measures, including:

• National Center for Geriatric Health
• Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) Act
• Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act
• Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA)
• Last Mile and Geographically Isolated, Disadvantaged and Conflict-Affected (GIDA) Schools Act
• Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act
• Anti-Political Dynasty Law
• Presidential Merit Scholarship Program, among others

During the same interview, Marcos confronted a reporter who insisted there was no Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allocation for the 7.8-magnitude earthquake-hit General Santos City.

“Kuwento-kuwento lang ‘yan (That’s just hearsay.). There’s no such thing as zero MOOE. There’s no such thing as zero budget either. That’s impossible,” Marcos said.

He also asked the reporter where the claim came from.

“Saan mo ’yan narinig? I-verify mo muna dapat. Vinerify mo ba? Answer my question. So next time, ma’am, i-verify mo na natin bago natin itanong, para hindi lang kuwento,” Marcos added.

(Where did you hear that? You should verify it first. Did you verify it? Next time, we should verify before asking so it’s not just hearsay.)—MCG, GMA News