Former House leader Ace Barbers has linked the recent string of allegations against former Speaker Martin Romualdez to what he described as a ‘hit or miss demolition job’ initiated by a certain Orly Regala Guteza at a Senate hearing last month.
Barbers, former lead figure of the House Quad Committe, said the pattern of baseless charges suggests a coordinated smear drive aimed at undermining the credibility of the former Speaker.
He said Guteza’s surprise appearance before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on September 25, 2025, appeared to have triggered a wave of follow-up stories and unverified claims targeting Romualdez.
Guteza, a self-proclaimed former Marine sergeant, alleged that he and several companions personally delivered several suitcases of cash to the residences of Romualdez and lawmaker Zaldy Co.
Romualdez had promptly denied the accusation, describing it as fabricated, malicious, and politically motivated, and emphasized
that no such delivery ever took place.
His legal team questioned the authenticity of Guteza’s affidavit and pointed to discrepancies in dates and circumstances, including the fact that the Romualdez residence was reportedly unoccupied due to renovation during the alleged delivery period.
Barbers said that the Senate committee should handle the testimony with caution, noting that the statement of a lone witness without corroboration can easily be used as a tool for character assassination.
After his sudden Senate hearing episode, Guteza reportedly failed to submit himself to the Justice department to affirm his allegations, and instead, he had gone missing since then.
Barbers also observed that the Guteza episode coincided with other reports attempting to link the former Speaker to alleged anomalies in farm-to-market road projects in Tacloban and with the circulation of fake news about Romualdez being made a state witness.
In September, reports emerged alleging overpricing in farm-to-market road projects in Leyte that were supposedly tied to Romualdez’s political stronghold.
However, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. later clarified that an internal audit found the projects in Leyte and Tacloban to be in order, with no ghost or substandard roads identified.
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno likewise said the timing of the allegations was suspicious and suggested they were part of a coordinated demolition campaign against the former Speaker.
Adding to the controversy, a number of social media posts falsely claimed that Romualdez was being considered as a possible state witness in the ongoing flood-control investigation.
The Department of Justice immediately denied the report, stating categorically that Romualdez had never applied for, nor was he being considered for, any form of witness protection or testimonial immunity.
Then Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla branded the online posts as ‘misinformation’ and clarified that no such discussions existed within the DOJ.
Barbers said the spread of fake news about Romualdez being a state witness was likely intended to embarrass the former Speaker or to lend false credibility to graft allegations that remain unproven.
He stressed that public discourse should be based on verified facts rather than orchestrated propaganda, warning that such tactics erode trust in institutions and damage reputations without due process.
The same sentiment on due process was aired a couple of days by Makati Business Club executive director Rafael ‘Apa’ Ongpin who called on President Marcos to stay impartial in pursuing the quest for truth and in exacting accountability to those behind the public works controversy, particulary in flood control projects.
As of this writing, none of the three issues – Guteza’s ‘hit or miss’ Senate Blue Ribbon panel surprise testimony, the farm-to-market road allegations, and the state-witness narrative – have been substantiated by any official finding from either the Senate, the Department of Agriculture, or the Department of Justice.