Betrayal of the people.

 The explosive claim made by Orly Regala Guteza—former aide to Rep. Zaldy Co—alleging the repeated delivery of ₱1.68 billion worth of cash per run to Speaker Martin Romualdez has set social media and political circles ablaze. But as the smoke clears, what we’re left with is not a fire of truth, but a pile of inconsistencies too heavy to carry.

JUST TO BE CLEAR: this is not a defense of Martin Romualdez the politician. 

He is no stranger to the murky waters of Duterte-era alliances. 

In fact, he benefited from the same machinery, dined with the same players, and held his tongue in the face of abuse and impunity.

But we must not let our outrage blind us to reason. If we allow unverified, physically improbable allegations to define guilt, we open the door to mob justice disguised as accountability.

🛑 The Math: Too Heavy to Hide

Let’s take Guteza’s claim at face value:

₱48 million per suitcase × 35 suitcases = ₱1.68 billion per delivery

48 kg per suitcase (assuming ₱1,000 bills) × 35 = 1.68 tons of paper cash

3 deliveries per week from December 2024 to August 2025

That’s a total of 201.6 tons of cash over eight months.

You don’t move that much money like a ninja. You move it with:

Trolleys, multiple handlers

Trucks or vans, not sedans

Security escorts or at least lookouts

Time, clearance, and space

🛑 Forbes Park Isn’t a Back Alley

This is not rural Tagaytay or some abandoned warehouse. This is Forbes Park, one of the most tightly secured subdivisions in Southeast Asia:

Guard logs are meticulously kept

CCTV cameras monitor all gates and roads

Visitor plates are recorded

No delivery or visitor gets in without clearance

A cash transfer operation of this scale—weekly—would have been seen, logged, recorded, or flagged. Yet to date, not a single guard, video frame, or neighbor has corroborated the movement of trolleys bearing ₱48 million suitcases.

🛑 Romualdez’s Renovation Alibi

Romualdez has stated under oath and in public that the McKinley residence mentioned by Guteza has been under renovation since January 2024—before the alleged deliveries began.

> “That property has been under renovation since January 2024 and was unoccupied except for construction workers. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.” — Romualdez

This can easily be verified:

Building permits

Construction firm logs

Contractor IDs

Water and electricity usage

If he’s lying, paperwork will betray him. But if Guteza is lying, it means someone is writing a script for him.

🛑 Who Is Pulling the Strings?

Alright lets give credit where it’s due: Guteza showed courage in speaking before the Senate. 

But the way he was handled—coached, shielded, prompted—raises eyebrows.

The heavy involvement of Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who openly guided and rephrased questions, gave leading statements, and appeared to prop up Guteza like a star witness in a courtroom drama, suggests this is more theater than truth-finding.

It’s not naive to ask: Is Guteza a whistleblower, or a DDS political weapon?

Marcoleta’s behavior reflects not just support—but choreography. 

And this is the same Marcoleta who once pushed to grant immunity to a different set of political actors aligned with Duterte, while turning amnesiac on corruption during the years he chaired the same Blue Ribbon Committee.

🛑 Truth Needs Evidence, Not Performance

This case demands forensic proof, not grandstanding:

🔍 Subpoena the CCTV footage from Forbes gates and McKinley Street (Dec 2024 – Aug 2025)

📋 Retrieve all security logs and plate records from Forbes Park

🧾 Verify renovation status with permits, site records, and third-party inspection

💸 Investigate cash flows, bank records, and AMLC reports for corresponding withdrawals

Let’s make one thing clear:

> If those suitcases were real—there will be footage. There will be vehicles. There will be timestamps.

If there are none, then this isn’t an exposé. It’s a political set-up scripted to capitalize on public anger.

🛑 Not A Hero, But He Resigned

Martin Romualdez is no stranger to criticism. 

He deserves it in many respects. He is cut from the same cloth as those who enabled impunity. 

But one thing he has done that others haven’t—he resigned. He stepped aside to allow investigations to proceed without institutional interference.

That matters. Not because it makes him innocent, but because it demonstrates something rare in Philippine politics: an attempt at procedural accountability.

While others cling to power, despite being exposed, despite being named in COA reports and linked to ghost projects—Romualdez walked away from the Speakership.

That’s not exoneration. But it is one action, in a sea of inaction, worth remembering.

🛑 FINAL THOUGHTS

We want justice. But we don’t want fake justice, built on DDS propaganda to prop up their more corrupt and dangerous political agenda. 

We want corruption rooted out, but not replaced by political theater designed to distract or mislead.

If Guteza has the goods, then let him bring logbooks, CCTV footage, audio recordings, financial trails.

Otherwise, what we’re witnessing is not a courageous reckoning.

It’s an orchestrated character assassination wrapped in populist outrage.

And that, too, is a betrayal of the people.

- JLB