Bold claims, scant proof

Explosive allegations of corruption against powerful figures in government and society inevitably generate screaming headlines. But when the dust settles, it’s the cold evidence that has to do the real talking.

Recall the case of the pork barrel scam. The claims, as fleshed out by this newspaper in a historic investigative series in 2013, were sensational: that a broad swath of legislators received kickbacks by funneling billions of pesos from their pork barrel allocations into fictitious nongovernment organizations (NGOs) set up by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

What gave the allegations substance once official investigations started was the ledger kept by Benhur Luy, Napoles’ cousin. The ledger detailed how much money was parceled out to legislators, who received it, which bogus NGO supposedly got the windfall. It became the foundation for the indictments that followed, the most prominent of which saw three senators—Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada—sent to jail for the nonbailable charge of plunder, along with implicated aides.

Gargantuan sum

That all three senators were eventually exonerated, under varying controversial circumstances, is another story. But the evidentiary quality of Luy’s ledger was still strong enough to convict a number of the lawmakers’ subordinates, as well as lesser government officials, for the crooked scheme.

Or, take the case of the P125 million in confidential funds spent by the office of Vice President Sara Duterte in 11 days. The nitty-gritty of how that gargantuan sum was depleted so fast only became clear when House lawmakers subpoenaed Duterte staff and bank officials to shed light on the withdrawal and disbursement process.

In their testimony, Landbank officers said designated aides of Duterte’s office withdrew millions of pesos across a number of transactions, then stuffed the cash in duffel bags. According to the VP’s office, the millions were paid out to so-called intelligence assets that, in official documents, sported apparently made-up names such as Mary Grace Piattos.

The recent claim by 18 men identifying themselves as former Marines and their lawyer that they had delivered a mind-boggling P805 billion in cash to a number of people in government cries out for the same kind of corroboration: a paper trail, at the very least, of bank documents, pertinent dates, a ledger of some sort itemizing how much went to whom, signatures by recipients, flight and phone logs.

Glaring error

None so far has been presented by the claimants, except printed photos of rows of suitcases allegedly containing the billions in cash, and men transferring the luggage to private jets—images that eagle-eyed netizens have already flagged as appearing tampered with.

A bigger anomaly had to do with the supposed recipients of the pilfered money. The ex-Marines’ sworn affidavit presented by lawyer Levito Baligod alleged that, among others, Mamamayang Liberal party list Rep. Leila de Lima received a suitcase of cash in 2023. At the time, however, De Lima was still in jail on spurious charges by the Duterte administration and not yet a House member. After social media called out the glaring error, a sheepish Baligod admitted it was an “oversight,” but said he still included De Lima in the list because the latter supposedly got P5 million to P10 million, this time “in a paper bag.”

The appallingly cavalier attitude by which Baligod (who ironically was Luy’s initial lawyer in the pork barrel scam) treated such grave allegations was only the first false note to dent the integrity of the claims. The quoted P805 billion amount also tested the bounds of plausibility. It would be a “logistical nightmare,” noted Sen. Panfilo Lacson, since that amount in cash would weigh approximately 805 metric tons and require at least 13,416 large suitcases. The sheer volume meant delivery would take until 2027 or 2028 to complete.

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Widespread skepticism

Yet another problematic claim was that $2 million of the money was given to ex-Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to bribe the International Criminal Court for its crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte. Such a transaction would have triggered financial alarm bells, but no bank records, here or abroad, have surfaced to back up that assertion.

Just two weeks after the ex-Marines made their allegations, they now face formal legal pushback from individuals mentioned in their affidavit. De Lima, Trillanes, Fr. Flavie Villanueva, Bureau of Corrections chief Gregorio Catapang Jr., and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año have filed separate suits for cyberlibel and perjury against them and Baligod. Año earlier filed a criminal complaint against the 18 men, Baligod, and former congressman Mike Defensor.

Until sturdy evidence is presented by the ex-Marines and their backers, their allegations will remain vulnerable to widespread skepticism and more legal challenges. An exhaustive investigation must ferret out not only the truth of these accusations, but also the credibility and motives of the forces driving them.

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