Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
The 18 individuals who claimed to be former personnel of the Philippine Marine Corps who allegedly delivered kickbacks to government officials arrived at the Senate on Monday as the Gatchalian bloc-led Senate blue ribbon committee holds a hearing into anomalous flood control projects.
Lawyer Levito Baligod, their legal counsel, accompanied the alleged former Marines.
Senator Robin Padilla invited Baligod and the 18 alleged ex-Marines to go up to his office, as could be seen in his Facebook live.
Earlier, the Senate panel initially deemed the group absent. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano earlier warned the group that the June 8 flood control probe is unauthorized.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director General Melvin Matibag also arrived at the chamber to attend the probe.
“This is the legitimate blue ribbon committee so we have to be here,” he told reporters in a chance interview.
Aside from the 18 alleged former Marines, other resource persons who were invited in the legislative inquiry were former House speaker Martin Romualdez, ML Party-list Representative Leila de Lima, and Fr. Flavie Villanueva, among others.
Last week, the bloc led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano held its own blue ribbon committee probe. During the hearing, the 18 alleged former Marines implicated some incumbent lawmakers in the flood control mess such as Senators Erwin Tulfo and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. —KG, GMA News
