Rowena Guanzon slams Orly Guteza's recantation: Who would believe you?

Former Commission on Elections commissioner (COMELEC) Rowena Guanzon on Thursday slammed former Marine Orly Guteza after he withdrew his initial statements tagging former speaker Martin Romualdez in the flood control corruption scandal and named her in his new affidavit.

In his latest sworn statement, Guteza said it was Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former congressman Mike Defensor who bribed him to tag Romualdez. Guteza also claimed that Guanzon had been offered to him by someone from Marcoleta's office as a legal contact to prepare his affidavit.

"Isipin mo na lang, may maniniwala ba sa 'yo, Guteza, na mag-abogado ako para sa 'yo? Para sa ano? Will I have anything to do with Zaldy Co, your boss at the time?" Guanzon said.

(Think about it, will anyone believe you, Guteza, that I would lawyer for you? For what? Will I have anything to do with Zaldy Co, your boss at the time?)

Guanzon said Guteza has a new boss: Romualdez.

The former COMELEC commissioner said the Office of the Ombudsman should file perjury cases against Guteza as he was undermining the authority of the agency.

In an exclusive GMA News report, Guteza recanted his affidavit tagging Romualdez and several other personalities in the flood control scam.

In his original 2025 statement, Guteza said he was a former security aide of former lawmaker-turned-fugitive Zaldy Co, who had delivered bags of cash called "basura" or trash worth P1.68 billion.

GMA News Online has reached out to Romualdez's office for a comment, but it has yet to respond as of posting time. — VDV, GMA News