Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla issued a stern warning to House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil after the House of Representatives allegedly refused to receive a subpoena related to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of one of its employees.
“We have issued subpoenas to the House of Representatives on the SALN on one of their employees. Ngunit ayaw po tanggapin ng Congress ang subpoena na aming pinapadala. Ayaw tanggapin na security. Public notice lang po, sa susunod na gawin sa amin ito ng Kongreso, I will cite the Secretary General in contempt,” Remulla said during a press conference on Monday.
The subpoena was issued by the Office of the Ombudsman as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged involvement of certain House members and employees in a flood control scam.
Remulla identified the employee in question as having served from 2022 to 2025, during the tenure of Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez as Speaker.
“I’m warning the Secretary General, do not do this again. We will cite you for contempt, and we will suspend you, if not remove you from office. Hindi kami papayag na balewalain nila ang Office of the Ombudsman,” he added.
The Ombudsman stressed that compliance with subpoenas is essential to uphold accountability and ensure the integrity of ongoing investigations involving public officials and government personnel.