Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla claimed that the camp of Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez was behind the recantation of the affidavits of three of the eight self-proclaimed bodyguards of former congressman Zaldy Co whose testimonies were being used in the Office of the Ombudsman's investigation into the flood control scandal.

Remulla said he reached that conclusion because Romualdez's camp stood to benefit the most from the withdrawal of the affidavits, noting that the witnesses' statements formed part of the evidence in what he described as the Ombudsman's "grand case" against the former House speaker.

The Ombudsman also denied claims by the bodyguards' lawyer, Atty. Levito Baligod, that attempts had been made to bribe his clients into changing their testimonies, saying the matter would be addressed in court.

"We will test the credibility of witnesses in court, because we will make a big thing out of it. But I tell you it's to our advantage. You can really see how desperate that camp is to take away the witness against them because we have built a solid case already," Remulla said during a press conference.

With the witnesses withdrawing their affidavits, Remulla said they would now be treated as co-accused in the cases under preliminary investigation involving Romualdez, Co and other government officials.

He said prosecutors are considering filing charges against the witnesses as accessories to the alleged crimes for supposedly helping conceal the offenses.

Despite the development, Remulla maintained that the recantations neither strengthened nor weakened the Ombudsman's case because investigators have other evidence supporting their allegations.

'Expected development'

In a separate ambush interview at the Office of the Ombudsman on 7 August, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the witnesses' withdrawal of their allegations had been expected because of the public backlash they received.

Tulfo also doubted that any under-the-table deal took place when the witnesses submitted their new affidavits, noting that their lawyer accompanied them throughout the process.

"Maybe their conscience got the better of them because they saw—if what they were saying was true—that it would not reach a stage where they are facing numerous complaints. Almost all of the people they accused filed complaints, including myself," he said.

Tulfo also said Baligod and the witnesses have yet to respond to the complaint he filed before the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office.

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, meanwhile, said the main problem with the witnesses' allegations was their inconsistency, noting that the list of personalities implicated had repeatedly changed.

"With the many flip-flopping statements that they had in different forums and venues, we don't know what's true or not from what they're saying and who among them are saying the truth," Lacson said.

The 18 self-proclaimed bagmen earlier alleged that they had delivered cash-filled luggage to various locations for public officials and other personalities beginning in 2022.

Their allegations implicated lawmakers, broadcasters, celebrities and even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in an alleged kickback scheme involving infrastructure projects.