MANILA — Current and former members of the House of Representatives on Thursday denied allegations that they received money delivered in suitcases, as claimed by 18 supposed former members of the Philippine Marines, saying the accusations are aimed at derailing the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and efforts to hold the Duterte family accountable.

In a media report, it said that in a joint statement, former party-list lawmakers France Castro of ACT Teachers, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan described the claims as false and politically motivated.

“Ang pag-atakeng ito sa mga mambabatas at aktibistang bahagi ng impeachment ay isang sistematikong pagtatangka na gibain ang kredibilidad ng sinumang nangangahas na panagutin ang pamilyang Duterte (This attack on lawmakers and activists who are part of the impeachment is a systematic attempt to destroy the credibility of anyone who attempts to hold the Duterte family accountable),” they said.

They also rejected any involvement in alleged flood control-related anomalies, saying they had no access to infrastructure funds or projects.

“Let it be known that Makabayan cannot be involved in the flood control scam because we have no infrastructure projects nominated by our offices. Wala kaming projects, allocables or infrastructure insertions sa pangalan namin. Wala kaming matatanggap na anumang kickback dahil wala naman kaming proyekto (We do not have projects, allocables, or infrastructure insertions in our name. We cannot receive any kickback because we don’t have any projects),” they added.

The allegations stemmed from claims by 18 former Marines that they delivered suitcases of cash to several individuals, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Erwin Tulfo, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of ML Party-list, and other lawmakers.

Former senator Leila de Lima said she had already responded to the allegations by filing libel and cyberlibel complaints before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and a perjury complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Whether in suitcase or paper bag, I never received any money,” she said.

“It is no surprise that the tales are getting twisted because these are just a figment of their imagination, if not repeated lies told before a bogus Senate hearing,” de Lima added.

Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong also denied the accusations, saying he never received any money or valuables from anyone.

“I categorically deny all their accusations against me. Wala akong tinanggap na maleta, pera, o anumang bagay mula kaninuman, at wala rin akong pinulot kahit saan (I did not receive any suitcase, money, or anything from anyone, nor did I pick up anything anywhere),” Adiong said.

He added that the allegations were intended to distract from the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte.

“Naniniwala ako na ang mga paratang na ito ay sadyang ginawa upang maging distraction mula sa aming mahalagang konstitusyonal na tungkulin: ang papalapit na impeachment trial laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte. Hindi tayo nagpapasindak. Hindi ako natatakot sa mga sinungaling,” he said.

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon also denied the claims, saying, “kahit anong panahon, wala pong dineliver sa aking maleta.”

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel, said the allegations were an attempt to discredit impeachment prosecutors.

“Initially, they said I was given suitcase of money in the House. Now, they are saying I got it from a townhouse. Their lies are very clear,” Chua said.

Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose “Pepito” Alvarez likewise denied the accusations, saying he never received any cash and suggesting he may have been included because he refused to support an impeachment complaint against President Marcos.

“Wala akong tinanggap na pera, wala silang dinala sa akin na maleta. I can say categorically wala po akong tinanggap na maleta galing kay Zaldy Co, dahil wala namang utang si Zaldy Co sa akin, wala rin akong utang sa kanya (I did not accept any money, no suitcase was delivered to me. I can categorically say I did not accept any suitcase from Zaldy Co, because Zaldy Co does not owe me anything, and vice versa),” Alvarez said.

Makabayan bloc lawmakers Sarah Elago of Gabriela, Antonio Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, and Renee Co of Kabataan also rejected the allegations, calling them false and baseless.

“Muli, mariin naming pinabubulaanan ang anumang pagtatangkang iugnay ang Makabayan sa flood control scandal. Walang flood control projects, infrastructure allocations, o project insertions ang Makabayan, kaya wala ring anumang kickback na maaaring matanggap,” they said.

They also urged the Senate to focus on proper proceedings, saying public resources should not be used for “bogus hearings, bogus witnesses, and bogus evidence.”