‘There was a delivery cited in the joint affidavit of the 18 Marines that supposedly involved a congressman.’
ANDRES Reyes Jr. (right), chairperson of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, on Friday, turned over documents, evidence and findings from the commission’s probe into flood control anomalies to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla. In a statement, Reyes said the ICI will wind down its operations until 31 March.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ICI
At least one of the photos cited in the joint affidavit of the 18 ex-Marines appeared to have been taken during the tenure of former House Speaker Lord Velasco, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Friday.
Remulla said an intelligence report from a reliable source indicated that one of the alleged deliveries described in the affidavit did not occur during the current administration, contradicting claims by lawyer Levito Baligod that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had orchestrated the operation.
“There was a delivery cited in the joint affidavit of the 18 Marines that supposedly involved a congressman,” Remulla said.
“But when we investigated that angle, it appears the delivery happened during the time of Speaker Lord Velasco,” he added.
He said the finding proved the pictures included in the affidavit were not an accurate depiction of the timeline, asserting that a “manipulation of facts” took place.
Remulla also said his office was waiting for the testimonies of each individual Marine, as it was far-fetched to believe that all of them were present at every delivery.
“We’re still looking for the individual affidavits based on the personal knowledge of each of them. It is very important that what’s stated by each one who signed is based on their own knowledge and not from what they heard or read in their chat group,” he said.
‘Third expedition’
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte rejected reports that Akbayan Rep. Jose Manuel Diokno had sought new subpoenas from the House Committee on Justice to obtain additional documents in connection with the impeachment complaints against her, calling the move another baseless attempt to search for evidence.
In a statement, Duterte said the request only “reinforces what I have been saying all along. There is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case against me.”
She said the committee’s earlier finding of sufficiency in substance should mean that the allegations were already supported by evidence.
“The committee cannot conduct an investigation to search for evidence to support accusations already made in the impeachment complaints. Doing so would amount to a third ‘fishing expedition’ by the House of Representatives,” she said.
Duterte cited what she called previous attempts to build a case against her, including what she described as the “Mary Grace Piattos attack,” claiming that the latest effort is a political maneuver.
“The impeachment is a political attack designed to protect certain individuals and advance personal and foreign interests,” Duterte said.
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