By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said the recantation of former Marine Orly Guteza came as no surprise, pointing to his previous identification as a supposedly “coached witness” during a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing in 2025.
Lacson said Guteza’s latest reversal was predictable because his earlier testimony had already been questioned on record.
“Since it is already on record during the blue ribbon committee hearing that Guteza was a coached witness of Senator Marcoleta, and it was even broadcast live, it is no longer surprising that he would eventually backtrack,” Lacson said.
He also pointed to other witnesses who have withdrawn or changed their previous statements, saying the pattern had become increasingly familiar.
“The backtracking of testimonies by the ‘Maleta boys’ has become ‘one dime a dozen,’ so it is no longer surprising that the original ‘Maleta Boy,’ a.k.a. ‘Basura,’ Orly Guteza, has also backtracked,” Lacson said.
“In the language of swindlers, I think they call that ‘lagareng hapon’ — double profit, or 40-40 vision,” he added.
Guteza resurfaced this week after a prolonged absence and formally recanted his earlier claims that he had delivered suitcases containing cash, which he had described as “basura,” to the residences of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former lawmaker Zaldy Co.
In an affidavit dated Aug. 13, Guteza alleged that Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former lawmaker Mike Defensor instructed him to make the accusations despite his claimed lack of personal knowledge of the alleged cash deliveries.
Guteza had been introduced during the 2025 Senate blue ribbon hearing as a surprise witness by Marcoleta, who said he had been referred by Defensor. Guteza claimed he had worked as a security consultant for Co.
Lacson had previously questioned the circumstances surrounding Guteza’s appearance and ordered a background investigation and full record check, citing the seriousness of his allegations.
Guteza’s recantation has now added another explosive twist to a controversy that has already seen competing accusations, disputed testimony and questions over the credibility of witnesses.
The latest development also puts renewed focus on the Senate’s handling of Guteza’s original testimony and the circumstances surrounding his presentation before the blue ribbon committee.
ia/xf
