Former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his wife, Rowena, on Monday failed to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to comply with the invitation letters sent to them over the ‘cash delivery’ claims of dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.
Instead, the Velasco couple were only represented by their three legal counsels, who arrived at the NBI headquarters in Pasay City around 9:45 a.m.
VELASCOS NO-SHOW AT NBIWATCH: Three lawyers of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his wife Rowena arrive at the NBI to represent them in complying with their invitation letters over the ‘cash delivery’ claims of dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. pic.twitter.com/aJtV7utP1Y
– MJ Salcedo (@MJSalcedoINQ) October 5, 2026
In an ambush interview, one of the counsels, Atty. Rowell Ilagan said that aside from complying with the invitation letters, they appeared at the NBI to formally request and subsequently receive the copy of Gracioso’s affidavit implicating his clients.
He reiterated the camp’s denial of Gracioso’s allegations, noting that information circulated on social media is ‘easy to fabricate.’
‘Velasco knows Gracioso’
Ilagan did not confirm that Gracioso became Velasco’s aide but affirmed that the former House speaker knows him.
‘Kilala po. Pero hindi po natin masabi kung ano po yung pagkakilala niya,’ the lawyer said when asked by reporters.
(He knows him. But we cannot say what his relationship was.)
He refused to answer media queries regarding the Velasco couple’s whereabouts abroad but asserted that they are free to travel as ‘they are private individuals.’
‘Mali pong isipin na [tumakas sila]. As private citizens, we can freely travel. That is one of our constitutional rights as an individual,’ Ilagan said.
(It’s wrong to think that [they escaped]. As private citizens, we can freely travel. That is one of our constitutional rights as individuals.)
Meanwhile, Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Anisha Hassan confirmed to the INQUIRER in a Viber message that ‘as of date, our records show that he (Velasco) is still outside the country.’
Velasco’s lawyer said that they would answer other allegations against his clients ‘at the proper forum and at the proper time.’
Ilagan said the NBI has not yet set another schedule for their clients.
The BI and NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed last week that Velasco is out of the country.
According to Matibag, the former House Speaker left the country for Nagoya, Japan, on August 30. He was supposed to be back on September 14, but based on the BI records, he still has not returned.
Meanwhile, Velasco’s wife, along with two individuals, traveled to Hong Kong on September 24. She was supposed to return on Sept. 27, but there was still no record of such.
Aside from the Velascos, supposedly invited to appear this Monday are Vice President Sara Duterte and her brother, Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte.
Vice President Duterte’s camp earlier wrote to the NBI, requesting to move to another date for its investigative conference on Gracioso’s ‘cash delivery’ allegations.
Meanwhile, Rep. Duterte has yet to arrive at the bureau and did not confirm if he will comply with the invitation or not.
Gracioso is claiming to have delivered more than P2 billion to the vice president, P1 billion to the former President Rodrigo Duterte, and P100 million to the congressman in tranches starting in 2018 upon Velasco’s instructions.
He underwent another lie detector test last Wednesday, and the NBI said the result showed ‘no deception indicated.’