The Office of the Ombudsman said Friday that at least one photo included in the joint affidavit of 18 Marines may have been taken during the time of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, raising questions about the timeline of the allegations.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office received intelligence information from a “reliable informant” indicating that one of the deliveries cited in the affidavit did not occur during the current administration, contradicting claims by lawyer Levito “Levi” Baligod that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. orchestrated the deliveries.
“There was a delivery done of the 18 marines, the supposedly joint affidavit of the 18 marines pointed to a delivery to one of the congress persons but when we investigated that angle, it appears that this delivery was done during the time of Speaker Lord Velasco,” said the Ombudsman.
Remulla said the findings suggest the photos included in the affidavit may not accurately reflect the timeline of events, adding that there may have been a “manipulation of facts.”
He said the Ombudsman’s office is awaiting individual testimonies from each of the Marines, noting that it would be difficult to assume that all of them were present during every alleged delivery mentioned in the affidavit.
“We’re still looking for the individual affidavits based on personal knowledge of all of them…It is very important that what’s being stated by everyone who signed is based on their own knowledge and not from what they heard or read in their chat group,” he said.
“You’re talking about serious allegations that have to be justified too by the actual people who witnessed the act,” he added.
Remulla said the Ombudsman’s office may also question the Marines directly to verify whether they were indeed present during the events described in the affidavit.