Former and incumbent members of the House of Representatives have denied receiving luggages of cash sourced from anomalous flood control projects, as claimed by 18 supposed Marine-bagmen who joined lawyer Levi Baligod's press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Blasting the allegations on Wednesday, Feb. 25 were former House members Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel.

Incunbent congressmen Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr., and Iloilo City 1st district Rep. Julienne "Jam" Baronda also issued respective denials.

"The script is poorly done and a clear hack job," Barbers said in a message. He says he is mulling the filing of a case against his accusers.

Barbers chaired in the previous 19th Congress the House quad-committee (quad-comm), which exposed the inner workings of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war--specifically the "pay-for-slay" scheme allegedly followed by police. This bloated the number of alleged extrajudicial killings in the anti-narcotics campaign.

De Lima described the allegations as "preposterous" and "laughable".

"How preposterous! Sobrang nakakatawa ang pinalalabas nilang isa ako sa mga pinadalhan o tumanggap ng maleta (It’s utterly laughable that they’re trying to make it seem like I was one of those who received or accepted a suitcase). Clear demolition job, concoction of lies. I absolutely and firmly deny any such ridiculous claim," she said in a statement sent to reporters.

"Look at the timing! It's the Confirmation of Charges of [former president] Duterte and most likely his case will go to trial. It's [Vice President] Sara [Duterte]'s impeachment proceedings and most likely her case will also go to trial...These cheap and laughable moves are squid tactics to distract us from the real issue: the reckoning of the Dutertes," De Lima added.

She further said Baligod was a "discredited" personality in what appeared to be an "amateurish yet seemingly well-funded operation".

Ortega simply brushed off his accusers as "delulu".

"Mahirap talaga pag may sarili kang mundo. Delulu. Delulu tawag sa mga ganyan. Hindi natin masyado binibigyan ng pansin dahil wala naman pong katotohanan yun (It’s really difficult when someone lives in their own world. Delulu. That’s what you call people like that. We don’t pay much attention to it because there’s simply no truth to it)," said the deputy speaker.

Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said in response to cash deliveries: "The timing is a suspect. Intended to discredit the members of the [quad-comm] and, now, the justice committee who will hear the impeachment of the VP."

Asked if he planned to file a case, Chua said: "Pag-uusapan po namin yan (We will talk about that)."

Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, current chairperson of Committee on Justice, was also named as a recipient of flood control projects money during the Baligod presser in Club Filipino, San Juan City.

Chua's good government panel carried out exhaustive investigations on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds--the results of which was made the basis for the 2025 impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

"The accusation that I accepted suitcases of cash is completely false, baseless, and malicious. I categorically deny it," said Abante in a separate statement. He is a co-chairman of the quad-comm during previous Congress.

"This is simply the product of politics. I am being targeted because of the positions I have taken and the stands I have refused to compromise, particularly with regard to obtaining justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings," he said.

Ex-Makabayan bloc solons Brosas, Castro, and Manuel, in a joint statement Wednesday underscored the ex-Marines' affidavit was unsigned.

The trio condemned the malicious and unsigned statement circulating on social media as a desperate attempt to divert attention from the serious criminal charges facing Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the upcoming impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

"An unsigned statement has no legal value and exposes the desperation of those behind this black propaganda. Why release this now, precisely when Duterte faces ICC proceedings and Sara Duterte faces impeachment?" they asked, rhetorically.

"Mariin naming pinabubulaanan ang mga paratang na ito. Malinaw ang track record ng Makabayan na hindi nagpapayaman sa pwesto (We categorically deny these allegations. Makabayan’s track record is clear: it has never used public office for personal gain). These are fabricated charges designed to intimidate us and to undermine the people's quest for truth and accountability," they added.

Like the others accused, the ex-Makabayan solons assailed the timing of the unsigned statement. "This is a classic Duterte playbook—when cornered by evidence of their crimes and corruption, they manufacture lies and attack their accusers."

Baronda, for her part, says she "choose[s] not to engage in falsehoods and will instead pray for truth and fairness to prevail".

"The only reason I can think of for my name being dragged into this latest political circus is my association with a local personality who was someone critical of the previous administration and who is helping me navigate local politics," she said, without naming anybody in particular.