ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Marcoleta, Defensor may face subornation of perjury rap over Guteza 'coaching'

Lacson: Marcoleta, Defensor may face subornation of perjury rap over Guteza 'coaching'

Published Aug 22, 2026 04:58 pm
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Saturday, Aug. 22, that detained Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former lawmaker Mike Defensor could face a complaint for subornation of perjury over the alleged “coached” testimony of former Marine Orly Guteza before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee last year.
Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former Rep. Mike Defensor (MB file photo)
Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former Rep. Mike Defensor (MB file photo)
Lacson said the events during the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing indicated that Marcoleta had prompted Guteza on what to include in his affidavit regarding his allegations that he delivered cash in suitcases to several personalities, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
“Kung titingnan natin ang ebidensya, takbo ng pangyayari, nangyari ito noong pagdinig ng BRC na maliwanag kino-coach ni Sen Marcoleta. So isa siya sa pwedeng kasuhan ng subornation of perjury (If you look at the evidence and the sequence of events, it was clear that during the Blue Ribbon hearing, Marcoleta was 'coaching' Guteza. So Marcoleta could be one of those facing a complaint for subornation of perjury),” Lacson said in an interview on DWIZ radio.
Asked whether or not Marcoleta and Defensor could be held liable after Guteza alleged that the two lawmakers induced him to testify in exchange for money and scholarships for his children, Lacson replied:
“Oo tama yan, kung may mag-file (Yes that's right, if someone will file a complaint),” he said.
Lacson said Romualdez, who was implicated in Guteza’s original allegations, could be among those who may initiate a complaint.
He also said the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman could conduct a preliminary investigation into possible perjury charges involving those behind Guteza’s original testimony, noting that perjury is considered a public offense.
“Pwede silang mag-initiate ng pagsagawa ng preliminary investigation sa kasong perjury laban sa mga tao sa likod (The Office of the Ombudsman and the DOJ can initiate a preliminary investigation for perjury against those involved, including those behind them),” he said.
Lacson also reiterated his proposal to impose stiffer penalties on individuals who induce or compel others to commit perjury, saying stronger sanctions could discourage what he described as a potentially lucrative scheme.
He said Friday that he intends to file a bill seeking higher penalties and fines for subornation of perjury.
“Dapat talaga magkaroon ng leksyon ang mga nagsasagawa niyan kasi may batas tayong sumasaklaw diyan (pero) walang natutuluyang kasuhan (There should be a lesson for those involved in perjury. We have a law providing penalties against it but it has yet to be implemented properly),” he said.

Related Tags

Mike Defensor Rodante Marcoleta ORLY GUTEZA Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.