Retired Marine Orly Guteza has recanted his Senate testimony and accused two political figures of pressuring him to fabricate allegations [1].
The recantation threatens to undermine a high-profile investigation into a multibillion-peso flood-control kickback scandal [2]. If the testimony is proven fraudulent, it could shift the legal focus from the accused officials to the individuals who allegedly orchestrated the witness's statements.
Guteza previously testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Sept. 25, 2026 [3]. In that appearance, he linked former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to a scheme involving cash-filled luggage and illegal kickbacks [5].
However, Guteza now says that Senator Dante Marcoleta and former lawmaker Mike Defensor tapped him to accuse Romualdez [2]. He said that the two men pressured him to provide the false testimony as part of a coordinated effort to pin the scandal on the former speaker [1].
The reports of the recantation surfaced this week, with the Philippine Star reporting the development on Aug. 20 [1] and TV5 reporting it on Aug. 21 [4]. Guteza said he was used as a tool to target Romualdez in the multibillion-peso case [2].
Marcoleta and Defensor have been central figures in the pursuit of the flood-control investigation. The allegations by Guteza suggest that the evidence presented to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee may have been manufactured through coercion [1].
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is tasked with investigating government irregularities. The reversal of a key witness's testimony creates a significant gap in the evidence previously used to implicate the former House Speaker [2].
“Retired Marine Orly Guteza has recanted his Senate testimony”
This development transforms a corruption probe into a potential scandal involving witness tampering and political sabotage. By alleging that a sitting senator and a former lawmaker manufactured testimony, Guteza has moved the controversy from the alleged misappropriation of flood-control funds to the integrity of the Senate's investigative process itself.
