The Philippine Navy yesterday denied that former Marine Orly Guteza, a witness in the Senate’s flood control projects corruption probe, is being illegally held by the Philippine Marine Corps.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Navy spokesperson Captain Marissa Martinez dismissed the claim of former Anakalusagan Partylist Representative Mike Defensor.
“The family did not contact anyone from the Philippine Marine Corps nor the Navy. It was counter-checked by our intelligence units,” Martinez said.
“It was comprehensively done. It was validated, it was checked, inspected, and there were interviews also being conducted. Not only by the people that were tasked to do it, but also our intelligence units,” he added.
Defensor on Monday said Guteza was allegedly being detained by the intelligence arm of the Marines. The former soldier was initially taken for his safety but was later held allegedly against his will, according to Defensor.
On September 30, Defensor initially said Guteza was under the protection of the latter’s fellow ex-Marines. This was denied by the Philippine Navy.
Asked if the Philippine Navy plans to take legal action on such claims, Martinez said the military will address only active personnel.
“For the Philippine Navy, I would want to focus on the active personnel who are spreading false information,” she said.
“But if there would be misinformation from the outside source first, we have a process to do that and we have certain agencies that would be conducting such verification and validation,” she added.
