Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chief and Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has begun scrutinizing the alleged scheme involving former military personnel who allegedly delivered large sums of cash to ranking public officials, supposedly upon the instructions of former party-list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy Co.

Lacson, who initiated preliminary checks ahead of the formal filing of a Senate resolution directing the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the matter, said there are two key areas that need further checking.

This, after Sen. Imee Marcos filed on Wednesday, Senate Resolution No. 317 which seeks an inquiry in aid of legislation into the alleged money delivery scheme involving ex-military personnel. 

The resolution was referred to the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Lacson.

“We will evaluate first the source of information, which in this case are the 18 alleged Marine personnel who appeared at a press conference last Tuesday. Second is the reliability or credibility of the information itself, meaning the content of their affidavit," Lacson said.

Marcos, in her resolution, cited the press conference last Feb. 24 where 18 supposed former Marines claimed they delivered billions of pesos in cash to the houses of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Speaker Martin Romualdez and other government officials and personalities.

Lawyer Levito Baligod, who presented the alleged ex-Marines, also claimed Co and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV funded hotel accommodations and other expenses of investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) while they were in the Philippines.

Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said he has written the Philippine Navy and Philippine Army to conduct a record check and background investigation on the 18 supposed ex-Marines, amid initial reports showing many of them were dishonorably discharged and some were never members of the Philippine Navy.

Mathematically irreconcilable

Moreover, Lacson raised questions regarding Baligod’s claim that P805-billion was allegedly delivered in cash, saying the figure is more than 70 percent of the P1.13-trillion allocated for flood control projects from 2023 to 2025.

According to the senator, the “numbers just don’t add up” considering that the remaining P325-billion of the P1.13-trillion total flood control funding appears mathematically irreconcilable with the kickbacks already admitted to be facilitated and received by figures like former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional director Roberto Bernardo and district engineer Henry Alcantara — and even less so with the costs for the actual implementation of flood control projects in the three-year period.

There is also the challenge of transporting such an amount in cash, saying at least 13,416 large suitcases capable of containing P50 to P70-million each would be needed to contain P805-billion.

"It’s mind-boggling. When we talk about large suitcases containing P50 to P70 million each, and we consider P805-billion, at least 13,400 large suitcases would be required — not counting smaller ones," he said.

Questionable timing

Notably, he said the timing of the supposed ex-Marines' press conference - on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA-1 revolt where protest actions against corruption were to be held, is questionable.

It was also held while the International Criminal Court (ICC) is hearing former president Rodrigo Duterte’s confirmation of charges on his administration’s war on drugs.

Moreover, he noted that Tuesday’s press conference was held at the Club Filipino, a prominent venue for events that led to the EDSA-1 revolt in 1986.

"The projection was that the ICC was corrupt because its personnel supposedly received $2 million through former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV,” Lacson pointed out.

"To me, it looked like the press conference had not only political color, but a destabilization aspect as well,” he added.