The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Orly Regala Guteza, the so-called “surprise witness” in the Senate’s flood control project probe, failed to show up at his scheduled meeting with Justice Secretary Boying Remulla on Friday.
DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said Guteza was supposed to appear at 9:30 a.m. He had earlier requested inclusion in the Witness Protection Program, citing fears for his safety and his family’s lives.
“The SOJ was expecting him this morning. He did not show up for his appointment with the Secretary,” Clavano confirmed.
Just a day earlier, Guteza stunned the Senate blue ribbon committee when he introduced himself as a former security consultant of Representative Zaldy Co. In his testimony, he claimed he personally delivered suitcases of cash—each allegedly worth ₱48 million—to the homes of Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
According to Guteza, these cash deliveries happened three times a week from December 2024 until August 2025, when he finally resigned.
Both Romualdez and Co have denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, Clavano said only contractors Sarah Discaya and Sally Santos, along with dismissed Bulacan engineer Henry Alcantara, went to the DOJ on Friday for evaluation.
Adding to the controversy, the DOJ is now looking into claims that the lawyer whose name and signature appeared on Guteza’s sworn statement has denied ever notarizing the document.
At the Senate, Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson, who chairs the blue ribbon committee, stressed that a full background check on Guteza is necessary given the seriousness of his allegations. He also criticized the way Guteza was introduced by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, saying it was done “without the courtesy of notice even to the committee chairman.”
For now, questions remain unanswered. The supposed key witness in one of the country’s most explosive corruption stories is missing—leaving the truth hanging in the balance.
