‘Brave 18’ defiant amid Floodgate raps

A group of 18 individuals identifying themselves as former Marines on Thursday insisted they were not aligned with any political camp as they stood by their allegations of massive flood control fund kickbacks during a press conference with former congressman Mike Defensor.

Eleven of the men, self-styled as the “Brave 18,” appeared before the media in Pasig City shortly before former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed perjury complaints against them at the Department of Justice (DoJ).

The group earlier executed affidavits claiming that they acted as “bagmen” delivering cash tied to a P805-billion flood control corruption scheme to several personalities, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co.

They said they worked for Co, who has remained abroad from where he publicly accused Marcos and Romualdez of being the primary beneficiaries of the alleged kickbacks. In a series of videos, Co said he broke his silence because the government was making him the fall guy.

Despite the political controversy surrounding their statements, the men said they were not aligned with either supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte or the Marcos administration.

“We are not pro-Duterte. We are not pro-BBM. We are neutral,” a private first class from the Philippine Navy Marines said.

“We are ordinary Filipinos. In a situation like this where we are spreading the truth, I hope they will respect us, give us credibility and not destroy our morals,” he added.

No funder

Former Marine Sgt. Dante Orbillo said the group was not being funded by anyone and was simply speaking out about alleged anomalies.

“All we’re talking about here are the anomalies that occurred in flood control, the money that we were bringing to high-ranking government officials,” Orbillo said.

He also appealed to the public not to discredit them because some members of the group had been discharged from the service.

“The money really came from flood control, or maybe from other projects that should have benefited the people,” he said.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the authorities were validating the identities of the men, noting that some were no longer in the active service while others had been dishonorably discharged.

Remulla also said some of the individuals were facing criminal cases.

The group clarified that of the 18, 16 were Marines, one was a retired Army soldier, and one was a reservist.

$2-M ICC ‘bribe’

Trillanes filed perjury complaints against the 18 individuals after they accused him of receiving $2 million allegedly intended for investigators of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is handling the crimes against humanity case against former president Duterte.

He also filed cyberlibel and “incriminating an innocent person” complaints against lawyer Levito Baligod, Defensor, broadcaster Jay Sonza, former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Lorraine Badoy, and vlogger Cathy Binag for allegedly spreading the claim online.

Trillanes denied receiving any money. “I did not receive $2 million, nor any amount, from Zaldy Co for ICC personnel or any other purpose,” he said.

Just helping

Defensor said he was just helping the group bring their allegations forward.

“I’m helping them because I don’t want what happened to Sergeant Guteza to happen—being pressured, pressed, and hidden,” Defensor said.

He was referring to Marine Sgt. Orly Guteza, who testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in September last year and linked President Marcos to the alleged delivery of money connected to flood control corruption.

Guteza’s whereabouts have been unknown since late last year.

Kickbacks

Meanwhile, National Security Council adviser Eduardo Año filed cybercrime and unlawful publication complaints against the Marines, Baligod, and Defensor after his name appeared in an affidavit claiming that he received a paper bag believed to contain cash during a meeting involving several political figures.

Año dismissed the allegation as a “malicious imputation.”

The controversy traces back to President Marcos’s warning against corruption in flood control projects during his 2025 State of the Nation Address where he admonished public works contractors and officials, “Mahiya naman kayo” (Have some shame).

Congress later opened inquiries into flood mitigation projects amid reports of questionable allocations and possible kickbacks.

During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing in September last year, Guteza testified on alleged cash deliveries tied to flood control funds, triggering what has since been called the “Floodgate” scandal.

Investigations are ongoing.