The 18 supposed bagmen of former congressman Zaldy Co are set to face additional charges after a lawmaker filed cyberlibel complaints at the City Prosecutor Office of Marawi City over allegations of receiving cash-filled luggages.
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, among the many lawmakers named in the joint affidavit of Co’s aides, submitted a complaint for what he said were false and malicious allegations.
Adiong expressed that the ill-advised accusations had caused him at least ₱20 million in moral damages and around ₱5 million in exemplary damages as the claims subjected him to unwarranted public scrutiny.
“The accusations hurled against me by the respondents are absolute fabrications, total falsehoods, and malicious inventions,” he said.
The lawmaker vehemently denied receiving funds from the 18 individuals, let alone having any personal interactions with them.
Aside from Adiong, fellow House lawmakers Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, Manila Rep. Benny Abante, and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin were among the officials who filed similar complaints on the bagmen.
In their testimonies that were first made public in February of this year, the supposed bagmen said they had made various deliveries of “maletas” to different areas where lawmakers were the supposed recipients.
It was apparently orchestrated by Co, a key figure in the multibillion peso flood control scandal. The allegations also tagged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.
For his part, Adiong mentioned that the public release of the accusations and the documents subsequent release on social media were a calculated maneuver.
“Having intentionally exposed the allegations to members of the media with the expectation that they would be reported to the public, respondents are liable not only for the original publication of the defamatory imputations but likewise for their foreseeable republication and dissemination through digital and online platforms,” he explained.
He further said that due the malicious narrative that has been promulgated by the respondents tagged in the case, he suffered “mental anguish, a besmirched reputation, and widespread humiliation.
Following their recent appearance at the Senate last Monday, 8 June, the bagmen along with Baligod were summoned to the Office of the Ombudsman who is also conducting its separate probe into the flood control scandal.
There, they were ordered to submit individual affidavits as the investigative body has sought to properly gain leads from the claims, asserting that it was unlikely that all 18 individuals were always present in each of the supposed deliveries made.