DA chief sues Co, Baligod, ‘ex-Marines’
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday filed separate cyberlibel cases against resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, 18 “ex-Marines” and their lawyer Levito Baligod over their claims that he was involved in agricultural smuggling and the delivery of alleged kickbacks to some government officials.
Tiu Laurel filed the complaints before the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, describing the “defamatory attacks” against him as “purely fiction.”
“What they stated in their affidavit is all lies and there is no truth to it,” the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief said in an interview afterward.
He denied Baligod’s allegation that he was involved in the delivery of suitcases full of money from kickbacks.
The 18 individuals who claimed to be ex-Marines earlier said in a joint affidavit that, upon Co’s instructions, they delivered billions of pesos in kickbacks from flood control projects to the houses of former and current government officials. They identified some of them as President Marcos, former Speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez, former Sen. and now Rep. Leila de Lima and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
According to the 18 ex-Marines, they collected money from Tiu Laurel’s house in South Forbes Park on a weekly basis.
The DA secretary, however, said he does not know any of the 18 ex-Marines and that he moved out of Forbes Park in 2018.
‘False claim’
“I live in another place in Makati, not in that village at all. That alone is a false claim. I don’t know any of those 18 [ex-marines],” he said.
“Clearly, my appeal to the 18 ex-Marines, I urge you to tell the truth so you won’t be used by whoever is behind these. Just the truth, that’s all I’m asking for,” he added.
Tiu Laurel also denounced Co’s claim about his supposed involvement in agricultural smuggling, which the former party list lawmaker bared in part 3 of his “tell-all” videos last year.
According to Co, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and her brother, Martin Araneta, had interfered in DA-related matters and were involved in smuggling.
Tiu Laurel said it was just now that he found the time to file the case against Co, months after he challenged the former lawmaker to prove his allegations.
Gone too far
“I decided to file the cases at the same time because they have gone too far in their attacks against me. I need to fight back because they crossed the line,” he told reporters.
“Honestly, this is a waste of time, but we really need to fight back because otherwise, they are using us as punching bags. We need to hold them accountable,” he added.
Under the law, cyberlibel in the Philippines carries hefty penalties of up to 12 years in prison or fines amounting to P1.5 million.
Tiu Laurel said he was surprised when he first learned about the allegations against him, considering that he is not a politician.
“If I was still with the private sector and they want a fight to the death, I’m fine with that. Unfortunately, I’m the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, and I have to be more civil and more understanding, maybe more dialogue can fix it,” he said.
Aside from Tiu Laurel, others named in the “exposé” have also filed cases against Baligod and the 18 ex-Marines. On March 4, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año sued them for claiming that he received a paper bag full of cash.
The next day, Trillanes also filed criminal complaints before the Department of Justice over allegations he received $2 million from Co to bribe International Criminal Court investigators looking into charges of crimes against humanity against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Charges of cyberlibel, perjury and false testimony were also filed by Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. on March 9 after he was tagged as the alleged source of kickback money from BuCor resources, which was turned over Co.
De Lima and 2025 Ramon Magsaysay awardee Fr. Flaviano “Flavie” Villanueva also sued Baligod and the alleged ex-Marines for cyberlibel over claims they also received kickbacks. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
