Dennis Gasgonia

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MANILA - Vice President Sara Duterte has expressed admiration over the &quot;bravery&quot; of the 18 alleged former members of the Philippine Marines and Navy for claiming that they served as &quot;bagmen&quot; who delivered luggage of cash to several ranking government officials. &quot;Hanga ako sa tapang ng mga dating security personnel ni Zaldy Co na naglakas-loob magsalita batay sa kanilang personal na kaalaman tungkol sa mga usaping matagal ko nang nalalaman,&quot; Duterte said in a statement on Thursday.Duterte said their &quot;confession&quot; was a &quot;brave thing to do&quot; as they exposed themselves to possible risks.The 18 men claimed to have delivered P805 billion to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte, and former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/25/palace-dismisses-new-bagmen-claim-as-lousy-scriptwriting-1539">Palace dismisses new &#x27;bagmen&#x27; claim as &#x27;lousy scriptwriting&#x27; </a> </div>The former soldiers also claimed to have delivered money to former Sen. Antonio Trillanes and to staff of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is holding confirmation of charges hearings in former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s crimes against humanity case at The Hague in the Netherlands.&quot;Mula pa noon ay mayroon nang mga impormasyon hinggil sa umano’y pakikipag-ugnayan ng ilang opisyal ng Pilipinas sa mga imbestigador ng International Criminal Court (ICC) at kung ano ang ginagawa nila dito sa Pilipinas,&quot; she said.The Vice President said the allegations made by the former soldiers strengthened her claim that personnel from the ICC have long been present in the country even during the time of the supposed &quot;kidnapping&quot; of her father.&quot;Ang mga impormasyong ito ay hindi maaaring isantabi o ipagwalang-bahala,&quot; she said.&quot;Ang usaping ito ay hindi usaping pampulitika. Hindi ito simpleng alitan ng mga personalidad. Ito ay tungkol sa pangunahing prinsipyo ng ating pambansang soberanya at sa limitasyon ng panghihimasok ng mga dayuhang institusyon sa domestic affairs ng ating bansa.&quot;&quot;hen we weaken the principle of sovereignty, we do not only affect one leader or one family. We affect the dignity of our country and the trust of our people in the institutions meant to protect them.&quot;The Philippine Navy has issued a statement clarifying that four of the said 18 soldiers were neither members of the Philippine Navy nor the Philippine Marine Corps.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/26/lawyer-refers-affidavit-of-ex-marines-vs-lawmakers-gov-t-officials-to-ombudsman-1349">Lawyer refers affidavit of &#x27;ex-Marines&#x27; vs lawmakers, gov&#x27;t officials to Ombudsman </a> </div>In a statement, Navy spokesperson Capt. Marissa Arlene Martinez said “based on official records, four were never members of the Philippine Navy or the Philippine Marine Corps,” after verifying the identities and service records of the individuals introduced during a press conference by Levito “Levi” Baligod.She added that majority of those presented were dishonorably discharged from the service.Malacañang has also dismissed the claims made by Baligod and the 18 men.&quot;Paulit-ulit na kasinungalingan laban sa Pangulo. Lousy script, hindi pang-award winning. Hindi malinis, alam mo na may kasinungalingan,&quot; Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.The Palace official also speculated that the owner of the vehicle that fetched the men after a press conference on Tuesday is the person behind the claims.When asked if the Palace will file complaints against Baligod and the so-called Marines, she said that it is up to the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to build up cases against people spreading &quot;fake news&quot; — an old term for disinformation.&quot;Dapat pa ba silang utusan? Hindi po, obligasyon ng NBI, PNP, (Department of Justice),&quot; Castro said.

Vice President Sara Duterte has expressed admiration over the "bravery" of the 18 alleged former members of the Philippine Marines and Navy for claiming that they served as "bagmen" who delivered luggage of cash to several ranking government officials.

Vice President Sara Duterte has expressed admiration over the "bravery" of the 18 alleged former members of the Philippine Marines and Navy for claiming that they served as "bagmen" who delivered luggage of cash to several ranking government officials.

Sara Duterte says she admires 'bravery' of Zaldy Co's ex-security personnel over cash luggage claim

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Sara Duterte says she admires 'bravery' of Zaldy Co's ex-security personnel over cash luggage claim

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 26, 2026 05:25 PM PHT

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Updated February 26, 2026 05:32 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte

ICC

Marines

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