Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has dismissed allegations that the upcoming corruption charges against multiple senators over a flood control project anomaly are politically driven.
“Hindi naman namin hiningi itong mangyari pero nangyari ito proprio vigore, apparently the crime was committed in open knowledge of everybody,” Remulla told reporters on Monday.
His remarks follow accusations from the minority bloc, headed by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who claimed that its members are being deliberately targeted.
Members of Cayetano’s faction alleged they were offered a dismissal of their flood control charges if they shifted allegiance to the new majority bloc under Senate President Win Gatchalian.
This includes assertions made by Senator Jinggoy Estrada prior to his arrest for plunder and graft on June 1.
“Maraming beses po akong inalok na talikuran ang independent majority bloc (ni Cayetano) kapalit ng pagbabasura sa aking kaso ngunit hindi ko po ito tinanggap,” Estrada previously said in a press briefing.
Other members of Cayetano’s displaced group include Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joel Villanueva and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Escudero unexpectedly attended a plenary session on June 3 to break a two-day chamber impasse caused by Cayetano’s bloc, leading to Gatchalian’s initial election as Senate President Pro Tempore.
Villanueva also surfaced during a special session on June 17 to complete the 13-member quorum needed to formally install Gatchalian as the new Senate President.
Meanwhile, Remulla confirmed that Villanueva has been placed under a full preliminary investigation for his alleged ties to the anomalous flood control projects.
The Ombudsman shared the update during a press briefing after returning from an official trip to the United States.
“‘Yun nga, for PI (Preliminary Investigation). For PI na ‘yan,” Remulla said.
This marks the latest development from the anti-graft body since May, when state prosecutors noted that a separate plunder case against Villanueva was being finalized for filing before the Sandiganbayan.
The impending legal actions were initially based on a criminal indictment from the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, Remulla explained that the anti-graft body rejected the DOJ’s initial findings due to an insufficient case build-up.
“Hindi namin tinanggap ‘yung findings ng DOJ kasi nakulangan kami sa case build-up na ginawa,” he said.
“So we have to conduct our own,” he added.
The anti-graft chief emphasized that the initial investigation fell short of their independent criteria.
“The result was not satisfactory to us, to our standards,” Remulla added.
The investigation originated from House panel hearings where a former DPWH assistant district engineer implicated Villanueva in the flood control anomaly—a claim the senator has consistently denied.