MANILA — The Office of the Ombudsman is on the verge of filing plunder charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez over the alleged flood control anomalies, with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla saying the fact-finding investigation is now in its final stage and only minor legal refinements remain before the case proceeds.
“We’re very close to filing the plunder charges. But we still have to cross the Ts and dot some Is and probably two periods and sentences. ‘Yun na lang, ganoon kalapit na ‘yan,” Remulla said during a press briefing.
The Ombudsman said investigators are completing the groundwork to ensure the evidence can withstand judicial scrutiny before elevating the case to the preliminary investigation stage.
Remulla declined to reveal the evidence collected but confirmed that investigators examined the alleged operations of a so-called “small committee,” an unofficial group of lawmakers accused of inserting projects into the 2025 national budget after it had already been approved by the bicameral conference committee.
He said the prosecution is taking extra care because those under investigation have extensive legal resources.
“Mahirap kalaban ang maraming magagaling na abogado at maraming pera, ako aminado ako d’yan. Ilang abogado ba ang hinire nila d’yan kulang ang isandaan abogado d’yan na nagtatrabaho sa kanila before and after ‘yan,” Remulla said.
According to Remulla, the case is nearly ready for preliminary investigation, but prosecutors are ensuring the complaint is complete and coherent before filing.
“Kailangan kasi kapag tiningnan ‘yung kasong fina-file mo, isang buo siyang kapanipaniwala at madaling makapa. Kasi, baka mamaya kung saan-saan nanggagaling ‘yung idea mo, hindi maganda ang pagkakagawa, siyempre ma-su-suffer ang kaso,” he said.
Remulla also defended the government’s plan to tap former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan as a state witness, saying his testimony could bolster the prosecution’s case despite the legal complexities involved.
“You’re talking about layers and layers of lawyers. People who will defend and go to any extent to defend their client. So hindi ganoon kadali. But we’re managing to thread the needle, so to speak,” he said.
Aside from Romualdez, Remulla disclosed that at least five incumbent and former lawmakers engaged in the construction business are either under fact-finding investigation or nearing the preliminary investigation stage. They include Tarlac 2nd District’s Cong. Maria Cristin Angeles, former Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzalez, Construction Workers Solidarity Party-list’s Cong. Edwin Gardiola, Uswag Ilonggo party-list’s Cong. James Jojo Ang, and Tarlac’s Cong. Noel Rivera.
He added that complaints against Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva are likewise undergoing fact-finding.
Despite mounting public calls for swift action, Remulla maintained that the Ombudsman would not file charges until the evidence is complete.
“Sistema ng batas natin ‘yan eh, kahit sabihin mo sa akin na bilisan mo ‘yan ‘pag hindi kumpleto ‘yan hindi ko ifa-file ‘yan. Hindi pwedeng ifa-file mo, iwe-weaponize mo. Dapat d’yan ‘pag finile mo, dapat mo nang panindigan,” he said.
A former congressman himself, Remulla acknowledged the difficulty of investigating fellow lawmakers but said it is necessary to dismantle what he described as a deeply rooted and “obscene” system of corruption.
“Ano, naging congressman ka para makakuha ka ng project para yumaman ka? Mahalay eh ‘di ba?,” he said./PN
