SENATOR Imee Marcos on Tuesday fired back at Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson over his objections to a proposed Senate inquiry into the alleged P805-billion cash delivery scheme involving 18 former soldiers.
Marcos insisted that serious accusations made under oath must be formally explained and substantiated under official scrutiny.
“This is not about whether the affidavits deserve to be dignified. When accusations of such seriousness are made under pain of perjury, the duty of our institution is not to ignore them, but to examine them,” she explained.
Doubts about the veracity of the allegations, according to the senator, are precisely why the affiants should be asked to testify and clarify their statements in a formal setting.
“Should the investigation ultimately reveal that the allegations are fabricated, then justice equally demands that those who maliciously dragged the names of others into controversy be held accountable. The Senate should not allow the reputation of several of its members, including the Senate President himself, to be besmirched, if such is the case,” she added.
Whether the accusations are validated or debunked, Marcos said the truth can only emerge through investigation, as she questioned why there should be fear of conducting one.
“I have nothing more to say. Filipinos can see, know, and feel for themselves what is being done before them,” Marcos said.
Lacson earlier raised questions about what he described as issues of logic and basic mathematics in the testimonies of the 18 former military personnel before any hearing is convened by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
In a privilege speech, Lacson clarified that he was not belittling the testimonies, but was instead ensuring that both the sources and the information meet rational standards of credibility and believability.
“These questions will surely be colored once again by trolls. But let us think about it. If these allegations are to be used as instruments of propaganda or for any motive, shouldn’t the accusations at least be logical and mathematically possible?” he said.
In his speech, Lacson cited what he described as a logistical nightmare in moving 805 metric tons of paper currency, excluding an additional 53.6 metric tons of large empty suitcases needed to hold the amount, as well as the time required to process the cash before delivery to supposed recipients.
Lacson said unloading, counting, repacking, loading and transporting the money would take five and a half years, extending to mid-2028 if the operation began in 2023, or to mid-2027 if it started in the second half of 2022 when former congressman Elizaldy Co became chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
He pointed out that the alleged P805 billion in cash supposedly withdrawn from bank reserves over several years represented a significant portion of the P2.7 trillion in total physical currency in the Philippines in 2024 based on data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“If their statements appear to be demonstrably false and physically impossible to accomplish, wouldn’t convening a hearing effectively validate and dignify disinformation?” Lacson said.
