Marcoleta: Improbable for me, Defensor to conspire with Guteza
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Friday said it was “improbable” for him and former congressman Mike Defensor to conspire with retired Marine MSgt. Orly Guteza, who recently recanted his testimony implicating former Speaker Martin Romualdez in the alleged flood control fund mess.
According to the senator, “it is more believable that the threats to the life and/or liberty of his wife and children forced Guteza to sign an outrageous statement.”
The detained senator, who is facing a plunder case before the Sandiganbayan, made the statement days after Guteza recanted his testimony on Aug. 19 and accused Marcoleta and Defensor of coaching him to implicate Romualdez.
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In a Facebook post, Marcoleta said, “It is improbable for me to conspire with Guteza, then a complete stranger to me.”
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“It is improbable for myself and Rep. Defensor to concoct a detailed account of the massive transport of money in luggages within one hour in a restaurant,” he added.
Marcoleta also disputed Guteza’s account that he and Defensor concocted a detailed story about the alleged transport of money in luggage within an hour at a Japanese restaurant in Pasay City, where Guteza said they met a day before he testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
READ: Guteza recants: Marcoleta, Defensor tapped me to accuse Romualdez
Marcoleta said it was also “implausible” that he could have learned Guteza’s story, rewritten his account and instructed him on what to do next within the few minutes before returning to the Senate.
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Marcoleta maintained that Guteza’s original testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in September 2025 was more detailed than his recantation, which was merely a general denial and contained “no evidentiary value.”
“Rather than feel dismay and defeat by the situation of Guteza, and the millions of our countrymen who suffer repression for seeking accountability and justice, we must [strengthen] our resolve not only to identify those who robbed the people’s money without remorse but also to recover every bit of it, conscious of the valued tax we paid with our own sweat and blood,” he said in the same post. /das
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