The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday clarified that its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects has been ongoing for months, refuting claims that the cases against involved personalities suddenly surfaced.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano revealed that the probe actually commenced as early as September, triggered by names that surfaced during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.
In a radio interview, Clavano emphasized that building corruption cases is a naturally prolonged process due to the covert nature of the offense.
“Yung crime kasi po ng corruption, tinatago po talaga yan. Hindi naman yan nakasulat sa papel. Wala namang invoice or delivery receipt,” Clavano explained.
He added that investigators have been painstakingly piecing together documentary evidence and securing vital witnesses to strengthen the case against the alleged anomalies.
“Kaya dun sa mga nagsasabi na ngayon lang ito [kaso] at bigla na lang itong lumabas. Sa amin po, matagal na namin sinasabing matagal na proseso ito,” he added.
As the broad inquiry continues, the anti-graft body maintained that its investigators are still actively gathering supplementary evidence.
Meanwhile, Clavano disclosed a recent hiccup where a process server from the Ombudsman faced initial resistance while attempting to issue a subpoena to the House of Representatives, as House officials reportedly sought legal clearance first.
However, subsequent dialogues between the Ombudsman and House leadership cleared the air, with both parties chalking the incident up to a simple miscommunication.
“So, we can expect na itong mga minutes, itong mga attendance lists, lahat ng transcripts nila ay ibibigay na nila sa amin,” Clavano said.