Ombudsman Remulla: Those 18 Ex-Marines Were Trying to Start a Military Uprising
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla isn't mincing words — he says the 18 alleged former Marines who accused top officials of receiving cash deliveries weren't just whistleblowing. According to him, they were deliberately trying to create a "political tipping point" to get a branch of the armed forces to "rise up in arms."
"They're trying for a political tipping point. What more? Alam na natin 'yun," Remulla told reporters in an ambush interview on Thursday while attending an anti-corruption workshop at the Department of Justice. He said the motivations behind the group's actions are primarily political, though some may also have economic reasons.
When pressed about who might be pulling the strings, Remulla said his office is looking into "numerous personalities" but didn't name anyone specifically. He also dropped a pretty damaging detail about the group's credibility: not all of them are actually Marines, not all were in active service, and many were dishonorably discharged. Six of them, he added, even had murder cases against them.
The Ombudsman said the National Bureau of Investigation is still validating the identities of the 18 individuals. He also pointed out a problem with their legal filing — their lawyer, Levito Baligod, submitted a single notarized affidavit, but Remulla said each person needs to file an individual affidavit based on personal knowledge for the complaint to hold up.
Baligod, for his part, had previously called on the Ombudsman to investigate the cash delivery allegations rather than question the messengers. GMA News reached out to him for comment, but he had not responded as of posting time.
Source: GMA News
