Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has nothing to fear from an alleged plot to unseat him, as arrests linked to the flood control scandal are expected soon.
In a radio interview on Saturday, Remulla said authorities are already prepared to carry out arrests, adding that any move against Sotto would weaken if minority senators are taken into custody.
“Wag kayong mag-alala, ‘yung arresting team naka-stand by na,” Remulla said.
He did not name the senators allegedly close to arrest, but the Department of Justice is currently probing Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Chiz Escudero, as well as former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
A draft report by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee also recommended charges against the same lawmakers, along with former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said the DOJ could treat the antigraft panel’s findings as initial leads.
“At best, it may be considered as leads that the department can follow and look into,” he said.
Remulla also disclosed that he received a copy of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa over his role in the Duterte administration’s drug war.
Villanueva, Estrada, Escudero, and dela Rosa are members of the nine-person Senate minority bloc led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, which was reportedly behind a failed attempt last week to install Senator Loren Legarda as the country’s first female Senate President.