THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will do a full record check and background investigation (RCBI) on “surprise witness” Orly Regala Guteza to determine his credibility, Senate president pro tempore and committee chairman Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Friday.
Lacson said the panel has not vetted Guteza because he was presented “without even the courtesy of notice” during Thursday’s hearing.
“Without the courtesy of notice even to the committee chairman, (and being) a totally surprise witness in yesterday’s Blue Ribbon hearing, a complete record check and background investigation on Orly Regala Guteza is in order owing to the gravity and seriousness of his testimony yesterday,” Lacson said in a post on X.
Guteza, who claims to be a former Marine and ex-security consultant of Rep. Elizaldy Co, was presented to the hearing by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who said he was referred to him by former Quezon City congressman Michael Defensor.
In the sworn affidavit that he submitted and when he was grilled by senators, Guteza claimed that he allegedly delivered starting in December 2024 suitcases loaded with cash, which he said was codenamed “basura (trash or garbage),” to the homes of Co in Taguig and Pasig cities, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez in Forbes Park.
Romualdez has denied the allegations, saying that his family does not stay in the Forbes Park house as it has been under renovation since early 2024.
Co is abroad supposedly for medical treatment. The Bureau of Immigration is checking reports that he is currently in Madrid, Spain.
Lacson noted reports that lawyer Petchie Rose Espera, the notary public who supposedly attested to the veracity of Guteza’s affidavit, has denied notarizing, signing or participating in the preparation of the document, saying the signature and notarial details attributed to her were “falsified and unauthorized.”
