Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, joined by 2025 Ramon Magsaysay awardee Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, on Monday filed several complaints against lawyer Levito “Levi” Baligod and 18 purported former Marines over the latter’s allegations linking them to supposed kickbacks from flood control projects.
“We are here at the DOJ (Department of Justice) because we just filed a complaint-affidavit for perjury… We also came from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), where we filed separate complaint-affidavits for libel and cyberlibel against the 18 alleged ex-Marines and Atty. Levi Baligod,” De Lima told justice reporters in mixed Filipino and English.
“In this complaint we filed with the DOJ, which is a perjury complaint, this is filed against the 18 alleged ex-Marines only,” she added, noting that the former soldiers submitted sworn affidavits that led to them being charged with perjury.
The lawmaker stressed that the timing of the allegations against them aims to distract the public’s attention from the case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Former senator Sonny Trillianes was correct, that it could only be the handiwork of the Duterte camp. Look at the timing where the impeachment procedures against the vice president were, where there were the events at the ICC that just finished the confirmation of charges hearing…then they released it,” De Lima said.
“To distract, that agenda is very clear. To confuse, to create confusion. They thought there would be many bites. They thought many would believe. They thought it was causing some instability here among us. That’s what we’re seeing: it’s the work of the Duterte camp again,” she added.
For his part, Villanueva said the allegations against them are an attempt to destroy the integrity of the ICC: “In the name of the homeless, in the name of the victims of extrajudicial killings during the time of Rodrigo Duterte, we stand for the truth.”
