The Department of Justice (DOJ) will investigate the alleged forgery of an affidavit presented during a Senate hearing after a Manila court found the document to be forged.
Manila Executive Judge Carolina Icasiano-Sison recommended filing falsification charges against Senate witness Orly Guteza over an affidavit bearing a forged notary signature and referred the case to the DOJ for further investigation.
The judge noted that those who used or presented Guteza’s affidavit may also be held liable.
Her statement came in an order dated 24 October 2025, following her review of lawyer Petchie Rose Espera’s incident report. Espera denied notarizing the affidavit that Guteza submitted during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control project anomalies.
The affidavit bore Espera’s name, signature, and notarial details, but she said her notarial register contains no entry corresponding to Guteza’s document.
Sison scheduled hearings on the matter, but only Espera attended, while Guteza failed to appear despite being notified.
“In this instance, considering that Mr. Guteza presented the Sinumpaang Salaysay during the public hearing and is deemed to be the author thereof, appropriate falsification charges shall be filed against him. Similarly, all other persons who made use or uttered the Sinumpaang Salaysay signed by Mr. Guteza shall be liable for falsification,” the judge said.
The DOJ said it will comply with the court order, conduct a preliminary investigation, and “file the case in court against those responsible if there is requisite quantum of evidence, and reasonable certainty of conviction.”
The department stressed its commitment to an “impartial probe to anyone concerned,” referencing those who presented the document in the legislative inquiry.
The 24 October 2025 resolution cleared Espera, whose signature and notarial details were misused, effectively absolving her of any administrative, civil, or criminal liability.
Judge Icasiano-Sison ruled that Guteza failed to rebut the presumption that he authored the forged notarization of the Sinumpaang Salaysay dated 24 September 2025. The court’s decision officially recognized the forgery, invalidating the affidavit that Guteza had introduced as a genuine instrument before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.