PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
Manila Rep. Benny Abante has taken the offensive, filing libel and cyberlibel complaints against lawyer Levito Baligod and 18 former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co over claims linking him to alleged suitcase deliveries of cash.
Abante went to Manila City Hall on Tuesday to lodge the complaints, flatly denying allegations made by the group in February 2026 that he was among the lawmakers who supposedly received money during the 19th Congress.
In his complaint, Abante said the publicized claims were false, baseless, and misleading, and had wrongly painted him as a recipient of kickbacks.
He also took issue with the manner the allegations were aired, saying the statement against him had been presented to the public even though it was still unsigned and unnotarized at the time.
Abante accused Baligod and the 18 former bodyguards of turning to a public spectacle instead of submitting their claims through the proper legal and investigative channels.
The Manila lawmaker said he had never met any of the 18 men and had no dealings involving alleged cash deliveries from Co.
He said the accusations lacked basic details, including dates, circumstances, and proof that any delivery actually took place, while photos of cash, luggage, and unidentified persons proved nothing against him.
The legal action came as the group’s allegations resurfaced in a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing led by former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, where the 18 men repeated claims that they had delivered cash-filled suitcases to several House members, allegations that other lawmakers had also questioned for supposed inconsistencies.
