Navy denies claim Orly Guteza was illegally held by Marines
Basura hunt Orly Regala Guteza (middle), a former security consultant for Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co, appears at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on 25 September 2025. ‘Basura’ was the term Regala and his team used to refer to luggage containing illicit funds.
DAILY TRIBUNE file photo
The Philippine Navy on Tuesday denied allegations that Orly Guteza, a key witness in the Senate probe on the flood control scandal, was illegally detained by the Philippine Marine Corps.
Navy spokesperson Captain Marissa Martinez refuted claims made by former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor, stressing that there was no contact or request for assistance from Guteza’s family.
“The family did not contact anyone from the Philippine Marine Corps nor the Navy. It was counter-checked by our intelligence units,” Martinez said.
“It was comprehensively done. It was validated, it was checked, inspected, and there were interviews also being conducted. Not only by the people that were tasked to do it, but also our intelligence unit,” she added.
Guteza, a former soldier, was introduced during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing in September by Senator Rodante Marcoleta. In his testimony, he claimed that he delivered 46 “basura” (trash), a codename referring to suitcases of money, to former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
On 24 October 2025, Executive Judge Carolina C. Icasiano-Sison ruled that Guteza failed to rebut the presumption that he authored the forged notarization of the Sinumpaang Salaysay. The court cleared Atty. Petchie Rose Espera — whose notarial seal and details were falsified — and ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Guteza and others involved in using or circulating the forged document.
Defensor on Monday alleged that Guteza was taken by the intelligence arm of the Marines under the guise of “protective custody,” but was later held against his will.
Martinez emphasized that the Navy is prioritizing issues involving active personnel, when asked whether legal action would be taken against those spreading the allegations.
“For the Philippine Navy, I would want to focus on the active personnel who are spreading false information,” she said.
“But if there would be misinformation from the outside source first, we have a process to do that and have a certain agencies that would be conducting such verification and validation,” she added.