Two former Marines reaffirmed their earlier statement that among the houses where they delivered suitcases filled with money was that of former Marikina City 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo.
In an interview on “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” Belnard Tube and Benny Bulontate confirmed the contents of their affidavit, saying they brought money to Quimbo’s residence.
“To Cong. Stella,” Bulontate replied when Soho showed a photo of a house where several suitcases allegedly filled with cash were being delivered.
When asked by Soho if the house truly belonged to Quimbo, Tube answered, “Yes, it’s her house.” He also identified the location, but that detail was not aired on the program.
Bulontate and Tube are among 18 self-identified former soldiers who claimed they delivered suitcases of money to Quimbo’s house.
To support their allegation, they presented a photo of eight large suitcases and one small suitcase that were supposedly delivered to her residence.
According to them, each large suitcase contained approximately ₱50 million to ₱70 million, while the small suitcase held around ₱15 million to ₱25 million.
Quimbo was a member of the bicameral conference committee and served as vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations during deliberations on the 2025 national budget. She later became chairperson of the committee after Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co resigned.
According to the group, they also delivered money to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other officials. In total, they claimed to have delivered approximately ₱805 billion to various officials, including Quimbo.
Pulong hails 'ex-Marines' for risking lives for telling alleged suitcase money deliveries
After the former Marines' testimony of transporting suitcases of money allegedly totaling P805 billion to various individuals, including President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Davao City First District Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte has spoken up, saying all his salutes to the former uniformed personnel for risking their lives for coming forward with their knowledge of the incident.
"To the 18 Marines — saludo ako sa inyo. It takes courage to speak against powerful politicians. Dili lalim mosukol sa Sistema (To the 18 Marines — I salute you. It takes courage to speak out against powerful politicians. It is not easy to stand up against the system)," Rep. Duterte said.
He emphasized that the ex-Marines' testimony was not just “chismis” or fake news from a vlog, but sworn testimony from the men involved.
He said the response of the politicians implicated in the issue consisted of silence, denial, and the removal of Representative Bong Suntay's manifestation from the House of Representatives (HOR) records.
It can be recalled that after the revelation, Levi Baligod, the lawyer of the 18 former Marines, submitted the soldiers’ affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman on February 28 for investigation. The affidavit contained allegations against lawmakers and government officials who allegedly received money. CEA with a report from RGP