What parts of Ombudsman’s case buildup vs Romualdez are affected by recantations?

Former Marine Orly Guteza, a key security personnel of former congressman Zaldy Co who implicated former speaker Martin Romualdez in the budget kickback scam, recanted his testimony, which formed part of the Office of the Ombudsman’s case build-up against the Leyte congressman. He joins four other former aides of Co who also withdrew their earlier allegations against Romualdez. How does this affect the Ombudsman’s push to file a case with the Sandiganbayan? Who recanted Aside from Guteza, the four former aides who recanted their earlier statements are: - Benny Bulontate - Cecilio Larroder Jr. - Bernard Tube - Rosebert Waupan Larroder did not submit additional testimonies to the Ombudsman, but the three did. Bulontate, Tube, and Waupan are part of the eight (out of 18) bodyguards whose additional testimonies became an integral part of the Ombudsman special panel of investigators’ (SPI) supplemental complaint-affidavit filed on July 20. The rest of the eight, who have not withdrawn their allegations, are: - Christopher Esquivel - Gil Navidad Jr. - Johnny Buduan - Rodante Orbillo - George Villalon Jr. What allegations are impacted At the heart of the Ombudsman’s case build-up is an effort to establish that cash-filled suitcases were delivered from Co’s properties to Romualdez’s. For example, according to the Ombudsman SPI’s complaint, in December 2023, security aides of Co, including Guteza, Bulontate, and Larroder transported 50 luggages and other boxes from Horizon Homes, where Co has a property, to Romualdez’s property on 42 McKinley, Makati. The operation allegedly involved P1.1 billion in cash. That part of the complaint relied heavily on the testimonies of Bulontate and Waupan, both of whom have recanted their statements. It was also the testimonies of Tube and Bulontate that the Ombudsman investigators used to: - establish how much money were in those luggages: P15 million to P25 million for a small suitcase, P30 million to P40 million for a medium-sized luggage, and P50 million to P70 million for a large suitcase - provide details on how the delivery operations were conducted: naming Police Master Sergeant Jhonie Calleja as the one assigning personnel who would participate, and relaying instructions via Viber Ombudsman investigators also used the now-recanted testimonies to expound on the alleged deliveries to the following residences of Romualdez: - 42 McKinley, Makati: Waupan, Tube, and Bulontate’s testimonies detailed the alleged deliveries in January to July 2021, December 2022, and December 2023 - Units 8 and 9, Manila Polo Club townhouse: Tube’s testimony detailed deliveries beginning 2024 - 14 Narra Avenue, Forbes Park: Waupan, Tube, and Bulontate’s testimonies detailed deliveries in various months of 2024 and in March 2025 What isn’t impacted Some allegations from the Ombudsman SPI’s complaint remain solid. There are cash delivery operations in the complaint that were corroborated by witnesses who have not withdrawn their allegations: - November 2023 delivery at 42 McKinley: the Ombudsman relied on the testimonies of Buduan, Esquivel, and Villalon - September 5, 2024 cash delivery at Romualdez’s Aguado residence: the complaint cited Navidad Also mostly intact is the Ombudsman’s effort to establish the multi-billion-peso corporate money laundering network that Romualdez allegedly utilized, such as: - Golden Pheasant Holdings Corporation: a firm, controlled by Romualdez’s business associate Jose Raulito Paras, that owns Romualdez’s property on 30 Tamarind Road, where cash-filled suitcases allegedly intended for him were delivered - Brightnews Corporation: a Paras-owned firm that holds the legal title to Romualdez’s property on 14 Narra; the complaint notes a mismatch between the deed of absolute sale (reflecting P800 million) and the purchase and sale agreement (reflecting P1.6 billion) - Braavos Holdings OPC: a Paras-controlled company where Romualdez supposedly transferred P174 million and $2.8 million in 2025; it is a member of Singapore-based Cecil Property, which bought a luxury villa in Spain - Clearspring Holdings: a Paras-owned corporation that has P5.36 billion in shares in Digiplus; the complaint says that because Paras’ declared income does not match his assets held through Clearspring, the assets are beneficially owned by Romualdez - Valiant Consolidated Resources: a Paras-owned firm that acquired shares in Prime Media, owned by a holding company controlled by Romualdez, despite no revenues and net loss of P212 million in 2024 Romualdez, in his latest filing before the Ombudsman on Thursday, August 20, used the recantations to argue that the continued plunder and bribery complaints against him “should not be allowed to proceed.” “In view of Guteza’s express repudiation of the material allegation linking me to the supposed cash deliveries, the affidavits of denial and non-participation, the previous affidavits attached to my ICI affidavit, and the recantation by three of complainant SPI’s witnesses, and the corroborating affidavits of two others, all attached to my counter-affidavit, there can be no prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction that I committed any of the crimes imputed against me,” Romualdez said. The Office of the Ombudsman has downplayed the recantations, saying that they are normal in high-profile cases. It also said that there are 28 other witnesses ready to testify against the former House speaker. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel?