Marcoleta, Defensor face subornation rap

Detained Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former lawmaker Michael Defensor could face complaints for subornation of perjury over the testimony of former Marine Orly Guteza, who has recanted allegations linking former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to cash deliveries, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Saturday.

Lacson said the sequence of events during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing last year showed Marcoleta coaching Guteza on what to say in his affidavit, raising the possibility of criminal liability if a complaint is filed.

“The evidence and sequence of events point to what happened during the BRC hearing, where Sen. Marcoleta was clearly coaching the witness. That could expose him to a charge of subornation of perjury,” Lacson said in a radio interview.

Guteza, who was presented by Marcoleta as a surprise witness in September 2025, initially claimed he had delivered suitcases containing cash to the residences of Romualdez and former lawmaker Zaldy Co as part of an alleged flood-control kickback scheme. Romualdez denied the allegations.

Guteza has since withdrawn those claims, saying Marcoleta and Defensor had tapped him to make the accusations. His new affidavit, dated 13 August, also alleged that Defensor’s son-in-law helped prepare the original affidavit and that Marcoleta later revised it.

Lacson said Romualdez, who was implicated in Guteza’s original testimony, could file a complaint. He added that the Department of Justice and Office of the Ombudsman could also initiate a preliminary investigation because perjury is considered a public offense.