Sen. Rodante Marcoleta questioned remarks made by Sen. Ping Lacson suggesting that the public appearance of 18 former Marines who raised allegations could have political motivations.
Marcoleta said that based on his assessment, the group may have chosen to come forward on Feb. 24 possibly to add what he described as “dramatization” to their disclosure.
Despite this, the senator emphasized that he does not see anything wrong if the former Marines selected that date to reveal their claims.
According to Marcoleta, the timing of their public appearance should not overshadow the need to examine the information they presented.
He said the focus should remain on verifying and following up on the allegations raised by the former servicemen.
“Regardless of when they came out, what is important is that the information they disclosed should be thoroughly examined,” Marcoleta said.
His remarks came after Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the panel would first evaluate the information released by the former Marines.
Lacson noted that there appeared to be inconsistencies in the numbers mentioned by the group regarding the money they allegedly delivered.
He also raised the possibility that the situation may carry a political color and could involve a destabilization aspect.
In response, Marcoleta said that if there are concerns about a possible destabilization plot, then it becomes even more important to conduct an investigation.
He stressed that such claims should be addressed through proper inquiry to determine the facts.
Earlier this week, Sen. Imee Marcos filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the allegations made by the former Marines.
The proposed inquiry aims to examine the claims and determine the validity of the information disclosed by the group.
