EDITORIAL — Worthless testimonies

At the rate several of the 18 self-proclaimed former bodyguards of Zaldy Co keep changing their stories, their testimony in the corruption scandal would be worth less than used toilet paper.

In a joint affidavit, the 18 had originally claimed that Co, at the time the chair of the powerful House committee on appropriations, had tasked them to deliver suitcases stuffed with cash, some in US dollars, to several senators, congressmen led by former speaker Martin Romualdez, and to former senator Antonio Trillanes supposedly for visiting probers of the International Criminal Court. The ICC denied the accusation.

By the bagmen’s reckoning, the cash, mostly meant as kickbacks for anomalous government projects, amounted to a staggering P805 billion.

Lawsuits were filed by Trillanes and several of the others implicated, not only against the bagmen but also their counsel, Levito Baligod, and their handler Michael Defensor. The 18 later dropped ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima from their list of alleged cash recipients.

The accusations seemed to shift with political winds, with the names of lawmakers added or taken out depending on their ties with the Duterte camp.

In a press conference, the bagmen claimed delivering the suitcases of cash to the homes of Romualdez, President Marcos himself and his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said individual affidavits were needed amid such broad accusations. Several of the 18 complied, but only four were deemed by the ombudsman to be credible.

Yesterday, the four retracted their statements. Remulla, in a press conference, openly expressed suspicion that Romualdez had a hand in the recantation.

The four claimed they hurled false accusations in exchange for promised compensation, and that they were merely forced to sign affidavits before the ombudsman. Remulla denied this. The National Bureau of Investigation is set to probe this claim by the four.

It was the second major blow in Remulla’s efforts to pin down Romualdez, following the rejection by the Sandiganbayan of the ombudsman’s petition to allow former public works chief Manuel Bonoan to turn state witness.

Romualdez has denied receiving the cash deliveries. He has also stressed that he did not handpick Co as chair of the appropriations committee and that he did not micromanage the budget proceedings.

Malacañang urged the public not to be easily swayed by disinformation coming from pro-Duterte groups.

But even some people who weren’t pro-Duterte were ready to believe some parts of the bagmen’s story. With the latest retractions, the nation may never know the truth.