The camp of the 18 alleged former Marines has denied allegations that one of the supposed “maleta deliveries” took place during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to a report by RH Jecelle Ricafort, lawyer Levi Baligod questioned statements made by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla, who earlier claimed that one of the photos linked to the alleged incident was taken during the term of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

“Hindi nangyari noong time ni Duterte?” Baligod said, expressing doubt over the timeline being presented.

“And to be specific, yung sa bahay ni Congresswoman [Stella Luz] Quimbo, ang binabanggit nila na time pa raw ni Velasco. Ang source kasi ni Ombudsman diyan, if I'm not mistaken, si Congressman Pido Garbin, ang nagsabi. Si Pido Garbin naman narinig ang kwento ni Quimbo. Pero makikita naman nila sa picture later on, na ang picture, I think, if I remember correctly, September 17, 2022,” he added.

According to Baligod, the photo in question appears to have been taken on September 17, 2022, contradicting claims that it dates back to the Duterte administration.

He emphasized that the original images have yet to be formally submitted and will still undergo forensic examination by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The lawyer stressed that it is still too early for the Ombudsman to claim that one of the flood control kickback deliveries took place during Duterte’s administration.

On Tuesday, the 18 former soldiers underwent more than eight hours of one-on-one interviews with the NBI in connection with their sworn statements on the allegations.