Rappler Recap: Tulfo-led hearing tests testimony of Zaldy Co’s alleged ex-bodyguards

[0:03] The testimony of 18 alleged security aid of former Congressman Zaldico was tested in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing led by Senator Irwin Tulfo. [0:15] Hello, I'm Patrick Cruz and you're watching Raptor Recap. [0:17] So, kanina, kakatapos lamang ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing na pinunghanahan ni Senator Irwin Tulfo, yung bagong Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson. [0:28] So, sumentro yung discussion dun sa allegations na ginawa or deliver ng 18 alleged security aid ni former Congressman Zaldico. [0:40] So, sino ba itong mga ito? At ano yung main allegation nila? [0:43] So, itong security aid di umano ni Zaldico ay nanguna daw dun sa pagde-deliver ng limpak-limpak na pera na nakalagay sa mga maleta patungo dun sa mga several personalities. [0:58] Who are members of the Marcos administration that includes Marcos himself, the President's cousin, Martin Romualdez, the Presidential's son, Sandro Marcos. [1:10] And even yung mga personalities na vocal critic ni former President Rodrigo Duterte and current Vice President Sara Duterte. [1:20] So, si Senator Irwin Tulfo, journalist as he is, used this platform or yung committee meeting ng Blue Ribbon as a way to fact-check yung mga claims na ito ng mga 18 alleged security aid ni former Congressman Zaldico. [1:40] So, number one dun sa Pinoyant out ni Senator Tulfo ay yung pag-deliver di umano ng pera kay Father Flavi Villanueva sa isang church dito sa Mindanao, along Mindanao Avenue. [1:54] So, for background, si Father Flavi ay isa dun sa mga vocal critic ni Duterte, ni dating President Rodrigo Duterte. [2:03] He took care of the drug war victims and their families, yung mga naulila nito. [2:11] So, according dun sa testimonya ay si Father Flavi Rao, di umano, ay naka-receive ng pera or ng isang envelope galing dun sa security aid ni former Congressman Zaldico sa isang church along Mindanao Avenue. [2:31] Meron din daw dinalang pera or maleta na may lamang pera dun sa isang address sa 33 Clemente at inilagay ito di umano sa sakyan ni Father Flavi. [2:47] Pero, citing yung statement ni Kobao Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr., ang sabi ni or Pinoyant out ni Senator Tulfo na walang church na pinapatakbo yung Society of Divine Word, [3:05] ito yung church or dito affiliated si Father Flavi. [3:10] So, that makes it questionable yung claim na ito ng mga security aid ni former Congressman Zaldico. [3:19] Second, meron ding allegation na yung iPhone 16e time travel. [3:27] So, di umano, meron daw claim yung mga security aid ni former Congressman Zaldico na meron daw nag-alok sa kanila na kapalit ng cellphone nila [3:40] na pag-surrender ay bibigyan daw sila ng iPhone 16e. [3:46] So, kailan ito naganap yung alleged offer na ito? [3:52] So, nangyari daw ito around in 2024, around that time na nagsalita si Orly Gutesa, [4:00] kung maalala niyo siya yung alleged security aid din na Zaldico na kasama rin sa pag-deliver ng pera. [4:09] So, nangyari daw ito noong 2024. [4:11] So, para raw, kapalit daw ng phone nila na naglalaman ng mga evidence ng pag-deliver ng pera, [4:18] bibigyan daw sila ng iPhone 16e. [4:22] They didn't identify kung sino ba yung mga personalities na nag-offer sa kanila ng iPhone 16e, [4:31] pero let's focus particularly doon sa detalye, doon sa timeline, at doon sa brand ng phone. [4:38] So, si Senator Tulfo, sa iting News 5 report, [4:43] they pointed out na yung iPhone 16e only became available for pre-order noong February 21, 2025, [4:53] hindi 2024. [4:56] So, ibig sabihin, wala pang iPhone 16e na publicly released that time noong 2024, [5:03] which contrast doon sa sinabi na allegation ng alleged security aid in Zaldico. [5:11] And also, it's important to point out na si Orly Gutesa pumarap lamang sa publiko, [5:18] particularly dito sa Blue Ribbon Committee ng Senado noong 2025. [5:23] Again, hindi ito nangyari noong 2024. [5:28] Yung third na allegation or nuances doon sa sinabi ng mga security aid ni Zaldico di umano [5:37] ay yung some senators or individuals were implicated in their earlier statement, [5:44] but later on, they recanted it or hindi ito na-mention or na-highlight in the hearing [5:51] led by the Cayetano Block last week. [5:56] Si Senator Tulfo particularly pointed out na before, [6:00] itong mga security aid sinasabi na Senators Loren Legarda [6:06] at Senators Mark Villar di umano ay parte ng kickback scheme. [6:10] But then, nung hearingan ng Cayetano Block last week ay hindi nabanggit yung pangalan ng dalawang ito. [6:22] It's important to note na this two individuals, [6:25] Mark Villar and Loren Legarda, are both part now of the Cayetano Block. [6:32] So, well, aside from that, there's a simultaneous press conference [6:37] nung binabanggit or nung nagkaharoon ng Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. [6:42] It was pointed out there, well, kinonfront namin ng media, [6:48] yung legal counsel, nung mga security aid, [6:53] that legal counsel is lawyer Levito Baligod. [6:58] So, ang sabi ni Baligod ay they retracted yung claim na si Sen. Legarda raw ay tumanggap ng pera. [7:10] So, there's a confrontation or a retraction, dun siya, earlier statement nila. [7:18] Pero hindi nila binabawi yung allegation against Sen. Mark Villar [7:23] na di umano ay pinag-deliveran daw nila ito ng pera. [7:26] So, dun siya, statement ni Baligod, klinarify niya na hindi raw nakita [7:33] ng mga security aid, at least two of them, [7:36] yung na nagbaba or dinala yung maleta na naglalaman ng pera di umano [7:42] dun sa bahay ni Legarda. [7:44] Ang nakita lamang daw nila ay bumaba at nagpakita si former Congressman Laldico [7:50] doon sa bahay ni former or ni Sen. Loren Legarda. [7:55] So, pang-apat, according to one of the security aid of former Congressman Laldico [8:04] ay nagpalpalit daw sila ng around 50 to 60 million na nakalagay siya maleta [8:10] dun sa isang money exchanger sa Makati, [8:13] particularly sa Pearl Bank Center Building sa Salcedo Village, Makati City. [8:19] Pero upon looking or verification ng team ni Sen. Tulfo, [8:25] wala daw money changer dun sa building na iyon dun sa Makati. [8:30] So, fifth, ikalimang claim na finak-check ni Sen. Tulfo [8:38] ay yung pag-deliver daw di umano [8:40] kay mamayang Liberal Representative Laila De Lima. [8:44] So, merong claim na ganun yung security aid ni Ko. [8:50] Meron ding allegation na lagi daw si De Lima dun sa townhouse [8:55] ni former congressman Laldico. [8:58] But the fact is, si De Lima was only elected as a congresswoman [9:05] not until mid-2025. [9:08] And for a long time, she was detained in jail [9:12] until she was freed in November 2023 under bail. [9:19] And the following year, talagang nakalaya na siya [9:21] because na-dismiss yung mga kaso niya. [9:26] So, again, confronted by this allegation or flaw [9:30] dun sa narrative being pushed by the security aid, [9:36] or a alleged security aid of former congressman Laldico. [9:42] Kignarify ni Baligod na yung testimonya raw [9:46] or yung affidavit daw ay ginawa lamang [9:48] noong early this year, 2026. [9:52] That's why they classified De Lima as a congressman [9:57] despite the fact that yung allegation na ginawa nila [10:00] that De Lima supposedly received money from Laldico [10:07] ay hindi pa siya congressman noong time na yun. [10:10] So, aside from that, si Senator De Lima already refuted these allegations [10:18] and in fact, she already filed a complaint against legal actions [10:24] against these 18 individuals for their supposedly malicious and fake claims. [10:31] So, again, interesting also na kanina inibitahan ni Senator Irwin Tulfo [10:38] yung mga 18 Marines neto, hindi sila dumalo dito [10:41] at wala rin reply dun sa invitation [10:43] ng Senate Committee, Secretariat ng Blue Ribbon Committee. [10:48] Pero, pumunta sila dito sa Senado, [10:51] hindi directly or doon sa Blue Ribbon Committee hearing [10:55] dun sa plenary or sa session hall, [10:58] dumiretso sila doon sa office ni Senator Robin Padilla. [11:03] Instead of attending the hearing, [11:07] nagkaroon sila ng press briefing with the media [11:10] simultaneous ito doon sa nagaganap na press [11:15] or doon sa Senate Blue Ribbon Committee meeting [11:19] dito sa plenary hall, dito sa second floor. [11:22] So, aside from that, [11:26] meron ding inimbita yung Senate Blue Ribbon Committee [11:29] from the National Bureau investigation [11:31] and among the findings na nakita nila [11:35] ay yung 90% daw ng mga sinabi o testimonya [11:41] ng mga alleged security aid ni Zaldico [11:45] ay 90% doon ay second-hand information or hearsay lamang. [11:50] Samantala, 10% lang doon talaga yung direct information [11:55] or first-hand information [11:56] which poses a question about the credibility [12:01] of the information being presented by this security aid. [12:06] So, in the past two weeks or in the past few days, [12:12] we've seen at least two senators [12:15] claiming to be the chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Committee. [12:19] There's Tia Cayetano of the Cayetano Block [12:21] and Senator Irwin Tulfo of the Gatsalian Block. [12:26] Both of them claim to be the legitimate chairperson [12:29] of the Blue Ribbon Committee. [12:30] So, yung Cayetano Block, led by Tia Cayetano, [12:33] nagsigawa ng hearing noong June 4 last week. [12:37] Although, mainly, ang nag-preside noon [12:40] ay Senator Rodante Marcoleta, [12:42] who also previously served as the chairperson [12:45] of the said committee. [12:48] Again, both of them are claiming to be [12:50] the rightful chairperson of the Senate committee. [12:54] This follows yung leadership shake-up last week. [12:58] If I'm not mistaken, that's June 3, [13:01] which ousted Alan Peter Cayetano [13:05] as the Senate president [13:06] and elected Senator Irwin Gatsalian [13:11] as the Senate president pro tempore. [13:14] So, interesting also to note [13:19] yung difference between the committee hearing [13:23] led by the Cayetano Block [13:25] and as well as yung naganap kanina [13:27] na hearing or meeting [13:29] by the Gatsalian Block. [13:31] So, yung Cayetano Block, [13:33] noticeably, [13:34] it was not live-streamed by the Senate media [13:37] or the official YouTube page of the Senate [13:40] since supposedly it's not the legitimate [13:44] or not sanctioned by the Senate president [13:48] or the acting Senate president, [13:50] Sherwin Gatsalian. [13:53] It's also important to note [13:55] yung absence ng committee secretariat. [13:58] These individuals are very important [14:01] since sila yung nagtitake ng records, [14:04] sila yung responsible for the administrative matters. [14:07] So, there's that flow in that hearing [14:11] led by the Cayetano Block. [14:14] On the other hand, [14:15] kanina nakita natin [14:16] yung basic elements na present [14:20] sa isang Duribon Committee hearing [14:22] as we observed in the previous hearings last year. [14:27] So, kanina merong registration table [14:29] for the invited individuals or research persons. [14:34] At the same time, [14:36] present din yung committee secretariat [14:40] to take notes [14:41] and to do the administrative matters [14:44] to the hearing or the meeting [14:46] was also live-streamed earlier. [14:50] Excuse me. [14:51] So, again, [14:54] the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee [14:56] is very powerful [14:57] and we can notice how [15:00] yung power struggles [15:01] sa pagitan ng dalawang kampo [15:03] para maklaim itong Blue Ribbon Committee. [15:07] So, bakit nga ba? [15:08] So, in the past few months [15:11] since the flood control scandal broke out, [15:15] we saw how this committee hearing [15:19] led to revelation of important information [15:24] and at the same time, [15:27] it also implicated several individuals [15:32] including senators. [15:34] Case in point, [15:35] Senator Zinggo Estrada [15:37] na ngayon ay nakakulong na [15:40] facing plunder and graft cases [15:43] in relation ito [15:44] sa flood control corruption scandal. [15:48] And it's interesting to note [15:51] or to see how the case will develop [15:54] or how the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee [15:57] will push through in the coming days or months [16:01] given the leadership shake-up [16:04] and the power struggle [16:07] between the two blocks. [16:09] Well, yung [16:09] Senate Blue Ribbon Committee [16:12] kanina was caught short [16:13] because of the earthquake [16:16] that happened in Mindanao [16:17] earlier today. [16:18] but we will keep you posted [16:22] on what will happen [16:23] here in the Senate [16:24] as well as the development [16:26] in Mindanao [16:28] in relation to the earthquake [16:29] that happened earlier today. [16:31] I'm Patrick Cruz, Rappler, Pass City.