NBI confirms Velasco couple owns 2 alleged ‘cash houses’ in Pasig

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October 6, 2026 | 4:23pm

MANILA, Philippines — Initial validations by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have confirmed that former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his wife, Rowena, own two alleged "cash houses" in Pasig City, along with two beach resorts in Marinduque that are being probed for suspicious financial activities.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said on Tuesday, October 6, that they have established the ownership following the claims of dismissed policeman Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. that Velasco and his wife bought properties to store large volumes of cash during the lawmaker’s term as House speaker.

“Basically, nitong mga nakaraang araw ang vinalidate natin ‘yung claim niya doon sa cash houses na sinasabi and we’re able to establish, dun sa seven cash houses na sinasabi, we’ve already established two that are owned by Velasco spouses,” Matibag said.

(Basically, these past few days, we validated his claims about cash houses, and we’re able to establish that among the alleged seven cash houses, we’ve already established two that are owned by Velasco spouses.)

Both houses were located in Valle Verde 2 in Pasig: one on Champaca Street, and another on Sampaguita Street, according to Matibag.

The NBI said investigators checked land titles and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) records in validating the ownership.

'Cash houses'

In his affidavit, Gracioso claimed Velasco was the primary source and coordinator of multi-million-peso cash deliveries to Vice President Sara Duterte.

The cash, he claimed, came from the 25% “all-in” kickbacks on government projects across the country.

He said the cash was initially packed and stored at the residence of Velasco and his wife at No. 142 Sampaguita St., Valle Verde 2, but the money grew too large, which made the former lawmaker buy at least six additional houses where they could store the money.

Velasco and Duterte have earlier denied Gracioso’s claims.

The NBI said the established ownership of the two houses in Pasig by Velasco has so far supported Gracioso’s claims.

“Dun sa mga claims ni Mr. Gracioso ng bahay at pag-aari ng mga Velasco, tumatama na. Especially lalo na doon sa bahay because ‘yung bahay it was named under Eagle Assets and Realty na ang presidente nito si Ms. Rowena Velasco,” Matibag said.

(The claims of Mr. Gracioso on residences and properties are beginning to be validated. Especially on the houses, because the houses were named under Eagle Assets and Realty, whose president is Ms. Rowena Velasco.)

Resorts in Marinduque

Aside from the houses in Pasig, the NBI said it also looked into Gracioso’s claims that Velasco was investing a lot of money into two resorts at Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos, Marinduque.

Matibag said the Sara Resort and Cabanas and Amara Resort and Villas were both linked to the Velasco spouses.

“Napakalaking resort niyan. When we checked sa SEC ‘yung ownership, lumalabas na sa spouses Velasco. May mga inassign na na-share without consideration. So ini-investigate natin ‘yan,” Matibag said.

(That is a very big resort. When we checked the ownership on the SEC, it appears to belong to spouses Velasco. There were shares assigned without consideration. So we’re investigating that.)

NBI said the Sara Resort and Cabanas is operated by 888 Wealth Star Corp, where Rowena Velasco serves as president and chairman, holding 60% of the shares. The P20 million capital, the agency said, was reported to be fully paid in cash at incorporation.

The Amara Resorts and Villas, meanwhile, is operated by Amara Equity Ventures Inc., where Velasco and his wife were principal incorporators holding 80% of subscribed shares. The NBI said both transferred their original shareholdings to third parties in 2023, but Rowena remained a stockholder while serving as vice president.

The NBI said they are investigating the link between the two resorts as SEC records showed that the same individuals are serving as officers in both, while the incorporators share the same address. Individuals handling corporate filings for one resort also appeared on the records of the other.

Matibag said they will continue to investigate crucial documents to identify how these properties were acquired, who the owners are, and where the funds came from.