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MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have no problem checking claims made by the 18 former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, but both agencies stressed the need for individual affidavits, as not every action was taken collectively.
At the consultative meeting of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday regarding the flood control scandal investigations, Sen. Bam Aquino asked Ombudsman Central Records Division officer-in-charge Karen Batu if the claims from the 18 so-called Marines were being investigated by the office.
Batu said she was not at liberty to say that, but she knows that lawyer-evaluators from the Office of the Ombudsman required the 18 bodyguards’ legal counsel, lawyer Levito Baligod, to submit individual affidavits stating their personal knowledge of the alleged incidents.
“When it was evaluated by our lawyer-evaluators and reviewed and approved by our officials, we sent a notice to Attorney Baligod saying that what the office requires is an individual affidavit for the Marines to declare or to state their personal knowledge of their statements,” Batu said.
