TRILLANES FIRES BACK: THE $2 MILLION ICC BRIBERY CLAIM AND THE LAWSUITS THAT FOLLOWED

A group of 18 men claiming to be former Marines stood before cameras on February 24, 2026, and alleged that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV had received $2 million from fugitive ex-party-list Representative Elizaldy "Zaldy" Co — money purportedly used to bribe International Criminal Court investigators probing Rodrigo Duterte's drug war.

Trillanes's response was immediate. He called it fabricated. Then he started filing cases.

WHAT THE 18 MEN CLAIMED

The press conference was organized in San Juan City. Attorney Levito Baligod — best known as a lawyer for pork barrel fund whistleblowers — stood at the podium and presented the group. Their joint affidavit alleged that prior to December 2023, they were ordered by Co to exchange pesos for dollars, with each suitcase carrying P56 million, amounting to $2 million total. That money, they claimed, was routed through Trillanes to cover the meals, housing, transportation, and accommodations of ICC investigators visiting the Philippines.

They also alleged that ICC investigators only interviewed witnesses referred by Trillanes, that interviews were held in private properties rather than government offices, and that ICC personnel visited New Bilibid Prison to meet with three police officers convicted in the murder of Kian delos Santos — all expenses allegedly covered by Trillanes and Co.

Former Congressman Mike Defensor was later identified as a key organizer of the press conference. One of the vehicles used by the 18 men on the day was registered to Defensor's wife.

The timing was not incidental. The allegations surfaced on the second day of Duterte's ICC confirmation of charges hearing, which ran from February 23 to 27 at The Hague. Duterte's lead defense attorney, Nicholas Kaufman, later announced he intended to use the bribery allegations directly in ICC proceedings.

THE CREDIBILITY PROBLEM

The Philippine Navy disclosed that most of the 18 men had been dishonorably discharged from the Marines, with four having no record of ever serving in the Marine Corps at all.

Ombudsman Jesus Remulla — formerly Justice Secretary and confirmed to have met with ICC investigators, though he said those meetings were for witness protection purposes — noted that six of the 18 faced active murder charges.

When the National Bureau of Investigation subpoenaed the group for questioning, only 6 of the 18 signed their statements. The remaining 12 refused after their attorney intervened before they could put pen to paper.

TRILLANES FILES — TWICE

The first round of complaints landed at the Department of Justice on March 5 and 6, 2026. Trillanes filed perjury charges against all 18 men. He separately filed cyberlibel and charges of "incriminating an innocent person" under Article 363 of the Revised Penal Code against Baligod, Defensor, ex-broadcaster Jay Sonza, vlogger Cathy Binag, and former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lorraine Badoy.

He was direct about his reasoning: "Duterte's lawyer said yesterday that he will use these allegations made by the group of Baligod. So, we will not allow this. That's why we have cases now."

The second round came on March 23 and 24, 2026. Trillanes filed a fresh cyberlibel complaint targeting the 18 men again, this time adding four SMNI hosts — Byron "Banat By" Cristobal, Oliver "Coach Oli" Cristobal, "Master Jude," and "Arjay Pinas" — for allegedly inciting the ex-Marines to make defamatory statements on air without giving Trillanes the chance to respond.

His warning at this filing was blunt: "Every time they make untrue statements, I will take legal action. You can anticipate a lawsuit following every interview they give."

He was not alone. Former Senator Leila de Lima, Father Flavie Villanueva, former National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, and Bureau of Corrections Director Gregory Catapang Jr. — all named or implicated in the affidavit — filed their own separate complaints around the same period.

THE POLITICAL ARCHITECTURE

The allegations did not appear in a vacuum. The Marcos-Duterte political alliance, which brought the two families to power together in 2022, had completely collapsed by the end of 2025. Duterte had been arrested on March 11, 2025, upon returning from Hong Kong and was surrendered to the ICC — a move the Duterte camp attributed to Marcos's decision to cooperate with the court. By February 2026, the House had voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte. Her Senate trial was ongoing.

Trillanes has been central to the ICC case from the start. In 2017, he filed Complainant No. 201 — one of the foundational complaints that initiated the ICC investigation into Duterte's drug war. He has since acknowledged active cooperation with ICC prosecutors: gathering evidence, identifying witnesses, helping facilitate investigative access. That history made him an obvious target.

His read on the press conference was unambiguous: "The Duterte camp is the driving force behind this initiative." On the timing — the eve of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution and the middle of the ICC confirmation hearing — he said it was deliberate, designed to "provoke public unrest and create division, coinciding with crucial ICC pretrial proceedings."

Sara Duterte issued a statement commending the 18 men's "bravery." Palace Press Officer Claire Castro called the allegations "preposterous."

THE ICC'S OWN ANSWER

The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor did not stay silent. Its official statement was direct: "OTP activities are funded through the Court's budget approved by the ICC Assembly of States Parties and subject to established oversight mechanisms. The costs related to OTP prosecutions and investigations activities, including missions' expenses are fully covered by this budget managed strictly by the Office in an independent and transparent manner."

ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang addressed the naming and photographing of ICC staff specifically: "This was clearly a tactic intended to intimidate us, as our missions typically should not be public knowledge, and such actions should not occur."

The Pre-Trial Chamber is expected to issue its decision on Duterte's charges by approximately April 28, 2026 — sixty days from the close of the confirmation hearing on February 27.