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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 18 ex-Marines turn over to Ombudsman affidavits on P805-B 'kickbacks' of gov't officials in flood control projects

18 ex-Marines turn over to Ombudsman affidavits on P805-B 'kickbacks' of gov't officials in flood control projects

Published Feb 26, 2026 01:50 pm
The Office of the Ombudsman received on Thursday, Feb. 26, the notarized affidavits of 18 former Marines who reportedly delivered P805 billion in flood control “kickbacks’ to government officials, including President Marcos and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.
Lawyer Levi Baligod, the former Marines’ legal counsel, said his clients decided to turn over the affidavits to the Ombudsman which is the only government body that can investigate public officials involved in irregularities.
"Ni-refer namin sa Office of the Ombudsman para magkaroon lamang ng prima facie proof na meron offense na na-commit, (We referred to the Office of the Ombudsman just to have prima facie proof that an offense was committed)," Baligod said during an interview after the turnover of the affidavits.
Copies of the affidavits were not immediately available as of posting time.
Baligod said his clients hope that the government officials they named will be charged with violations of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and RA No. 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Should the Ombudsman investigate further, Baligod said those named in the affidavits could also be charged with malversation of public funds and bribery.
"Basehan namin ay tumanggap sila ng milyon milyon na pera pero hindi napakita yan sa kanilang SALN (statement of assets liability and net worth), (Our basis is that they received millions and millions but these were not reflected in their SALNs)," said Baligod, who stressed that “SALNs should be truthful and not falsified.”
The 18 former marines claimed that they delivered money inside suitcases from 2022 until 2025, and they made around four deliveries per week to different government officials under the orders of former Ako Bikol Partylist congressman Elizaldy "Zaldy" Co.
Aside from Marcos and Romualdez, also named by the former Marines were Senator Erwin Tulfo, former Senator Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes IV, former DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Rep. Leila de Lima, Rep. Sandro Marcos and several other lawmakers.
At the same time, Baligod said that while the country is reeling over the corruption behind the flood control scam projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), there are huge amounts of money that came from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). He did not elaborate on his allegation.
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