Zaldy Co’s alleged ex-bodyguards retract claims vs Legarda but not Mark Villar

MANILA, Philippines – Two of the alleged former security aides of former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co have recanted their allegation that Senator Loren Legarda received kickbacks in connection to the flood control scam, their lawyer said on Monday, June 8.

Lawyer Levi Baligod and the 18 alleged former bodyguards of Co did not face the Senate blue ribbon committee led by new chairperson Erwin Tulfo despite an invitation, and instead stayed at the office of Senator Robin Padilla where they held a press conference.

Baligod said his clients clarified that they did not actually see suitcases filled with cash being delivered to Legarda. He added that they also did not personally see the senator.

The topic was brought up in relation to Tulfo’s questions about the testimony of the 18 individuals at the Cayetano bloc-led flood control probe on June 4. At the time, the group did not mention Legarda and Mark Villar as allegedly linked to flood control corruption, though both were named in their joint affidavit that was earlier submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.

At their Monday press conference, Baligod said that the aide only saw Co entering Legarda’s residence. Two suitcases were initially prepared but were not delivered to Legarda.

Co, the former chairperson of the House committee of appropriations, is among those implicated in the multi-billion flood control corruption scandal.

When asked why the correction was only made public now, Baligod said they only found out about it in March 2026, following a media interview.

Baligod said that he just asked the two alleged former security aides to write and sign their testimony stating the correction. He also urged Legarda to file a complaint against the two individuals if she deemed it appropriate.

The correction and the new details in relation to Legarda, however, was not made public immediately after Baligod’s discovery — not even when he and his clients appeared at the flood control hearing held by the Cayetano bloc on June 4, which Legarda herself attended.

The joint affidavit submitted by the 18 individuals to the Office of the Ombudsman has yet to reflect the correction about Legarda.

While Senator Mark Villar’s name was not mentioned as among those who got kickbacks during the June 4 hearing of the Cayetano bloc, the alleged former security aides on Monday maintained their claim that they delivered seven suitcases supposedly containing cash to Mark Villar in 2022, at a residence in Daang Hari, Portofino South, Las Piñas City. They admitted, however, that they did not personally see Villar.

Baligod also said his clients would attend the blue ribbon committee hearing only if Erwin Tulfo would inhibit himself from participating in the proceedings. The men had accused Erwin Tulfo and other members of the new Senate majority of receiving kickbacks, which the senators categorically denied.

During the panel hearing, Senator Raffy Tulfo fact-checked the allegations of the 18 former bodyguards through a video presentation.

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– Rappler.com