Malacañang on Thursday said it has received reliable information that a “political operator” during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is behind the allegations accusing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of orchestrating a multibillion-peso flood control corruption scheme.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked at a Palace briefing about the claim of lawyer Levito Baligod and supposed former Philippine Marines that hundreds of billions in cash was delivered to Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez at their residences in Forbes Park, Makati City, on the instructions of then representative Zaldy Co.

Castro dismissed the claim and questioned the motives of those advancing them, singling out former congressman Mike Defensor, who has said that additional witnesses would come forward.

She said Defensor’s statements were aimed at encouraging the public to call for the removal of Marcos from office. She, however, did not name Defensor as the operator she referred to.

“That’s for you to find out,” she said in Filipino.

Defensor was chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, and Malacañang Chief of Staff during the Arroyo administration.

“Mike Defensor, the so-called wonder boy. Many of his speeches encourage our countrymen to oust our President. We already know the motive. Mike Defensor again, Ador Mawanay 2.0—the term ‘mawanay’ is known because of alleged coercion to make a fake statement,” Castro said.

She referenced the case of Ador Mawanay, who in 2001 claimed to be a former agent of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force and testified in the Senate against several lawmakers, only to later retract his allegations and say he had been pressured.

Mawanay was later removed from the Witness Protection Program.

Ombudsman filing

Castro said the Palace had information pointing to an individual linked to the Arroyo administration who has a history of muddling issues.

“We have information that a person from the former GMA administration, an operator whose only job is to muddle the issues, is involved. When this person is part of an issue, something is fishy,” Castro said.

She said the Palace was more concerned about what it described as falsehoods being thrown against the President by Baligod’s group.

Baligod on Thursday filed an affidavit signed by 18 purported ex-Marines with the Office of the Ombudsman that named lawmakers and other officials in connection with the alleged cash deliveries.

Baligod urged the Ombudsman to investigate the allegations after submitting the notarized affidavit of the 18 individuals, whom he introduced as former Marines.

He said the Ombudsman has primary jurisdiction over corruption complaints against public officials.

“We are here to present prima facie proof that an offense has been committed by the people named in the affidavit. These offenses include graft and violations of Republic Act 6713, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts. Our basis is that they accepted millions of pesos that were not reflected in their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth,” Baligod said.