Former Marine George Villalon Jr. revealed that witnesses are now being offered between ₱20 million and ₱25 million each to recant their testimony against ex‑House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the flood‑control probe.
“Meron pong ino‑offer sa amin para sa kabila, ₱20 to ₱25 million per person,” he said on Friday after 4 ex-Marines recanted their testimonies.
The bribery trail is long. Before ex‑congressman Mike Defensor was jailed, he told PGMN that Romualdez’s camp had already dangled ₱5 million per Marine to recant. Villalon’s revelation proves the price has now ballooned four‑ to five‑fold, underscoring the desperation driving Romualdez’s machinery.
Villalon said the 14 other Marines remain firm, refusing to sell out. The 18 Marines were the ones who accused Romualdez of receiving cash‑stuffed luggage tied to the flood‑control scandal. After the 4 withdrew their statements, Villalon lamented their decision and urged reflection from those who gave in.
“Masasabi ko lang sa kasama ko: Sana pag‑isipan niyong mabuti yung sinasabi niyo. Retired ka na Marine, pero ano ang ginawa mo? Nagpadala ka sa pera. Sana inisip mong mabuti yung kasama mo,” he said.
Ombudsman Boying Remulla also declared he believes Romualdez is behind the effort to make witnesses recant, describing the former Speaker’s camp as desperate as the cases advance.
One of the 4 ex‑Marines who recanted even admitted to counsel Levito D. Baligod that he was “tempted” by offers to withdraw his testimony—and apologized before ultimately giving in.
The timing carries added weight after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his July 27 SONA to announce the Ombudsman was nearing the filing of multiple cases against Romualdez. Marcos stressed that family ties would not shield his cousin, declaring: “I am not the president of my family.”
Romualdez has repeatedly been identified by officials and court records in connection with the scandal. The Ombudsman has branded him the “master plunderer.”
Corruption has always been the Philippines’ greatest plague—and Romualdez is universally recognized as the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
