THE so-called 18 former bodyguards of former congressman Zaldy Co appeared to have been abandoned by the senators who gave support to their allegations after a much-publicized Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing failed to materialize and was reduced to a press conference.
House Committee on Human Rights Chairman and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. made the observation on Thursday, saying the witnesses were left exposed after allies of former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, particularly former Blue Ribbon subcommittee head Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, failed to appear at the June 16 proceeding promoted by former congressman Mike Defensor.
“After all the buildup, all the publicity, and all the dramatic accusations, the people left holding the bag were the witnesses themselves and their handler,” Abante said. “Ang masakit puro mga kaso ang kinakaharap ngayon ng ex-bodyguards.”
“They were presented as credible insiders with explosive stories to tell. But when the moment came for those claims to be tested in what was being advertised as a Senate proceeding, the politicians who helped elevate their allegations were nowhere to be found,” he added.
The group had accused several House members and other personalities of receiving luggage bags allegedly filled with cash from Co, allegations that have been denied by those implicated.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, now chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, had earlier clarified that no hearing on the matter had been authorized or scheduled.
Abante, one of the personalities accused by the group, has filed a cyber libel complaint against them before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Abante, the collapse of the planned hearing left the witnesses in an awkward position after their allegations had been publicly amplified by politicians who later failed to show up.
Abante noted that Defensor publicly promoted the supposed hearing and appeared at the venue, along with the witnesses and members of the media.
“The witnesses showed up. Mike Defensor showed up. The media showed up. What did not show up were the senators whose participation was supposed to give the event legitimacy,” Abante said.
“That is why the entire exercise ended not with answers, but with even more questions,” he added.
The Manila House leader said the collapse of the planned hearing cast doubt on both the allegations and the people behind them.
“These were serious accusations involving bags allegedly filled with cash and claims of wrongdoing by public officials. Serious allegations deserve serious scrutiny,” Abante said.
“If the evidence was truly overwhelming, why did the proceeding collapse before it even began?” he asked.
Abante said the public deserves an explanation from those who promoted the supposed hearing.
“You cannot spend days promising a blockbuster Senate hearing and then deliver a press conference after the hearing itself falls apart,” he said.
“In the end, the hearing disappeared, the senators disappeared, and the credibility of the entire operation disappeared with them,” Abante said.
