Ombudsman eyes ‘gross negligence’ in flood control project scandal
"As the leader of the house he was responsible for the appointment of Zaldy Co although he was elected on the floor, everybody knows that it was the speaker’s choice. That’s why we have to hold him accountable for that, ” Remulla said.
Photo by Analy Labor for DAILY TRIBUNE
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on Tuesday said investigators are looking into possible gross inexcusable negligence on the part of a House representative in connection with the multi-billion-peso flood control project scandal.
According to Remulla, this may be linked to the appointment of former Ako Bicol Partylist representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co as chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, who was allegedly involved with certain senators in key budget decisions.
“As the leader of the House, he was responsible for the appointment of Zaldy Co although he was elected on the floor — everybody knows that it was the speaker’s choice. That’s why we have to hold him accountable for that,” Remulla said.
The Ombudsman cited the information while noting that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan also fell short in monitoring his agency during his tenure.
“I had a discussion earlier with former Secretary Singson and Justice Reyes, and some of it can be attributed to gross inexcusable negligence if I'm not mistaken. Being the Secretary of Public Works, it was his job to make sure that things happen properly,” Remulla stated.
Remulla emphasized that Co’s alleged involvement in corruption caused significant damage, prompting his office to exhaust all means to hold those accountable.
“We’re crossing the boundaries of normal legal theory here, but we have to stretch it because the whole government machinery and the Filipino people suffered damages due to Co’s acts. If there’s nothing criminal about it, then there is negligence,” Remulla said.
He also confirmed efforts to locate Orly Guteza, who may be called to return and testify.
“We’re trying to locate Guteza and see if he's going to go back to testify, but we don't know yet. We’re looking at all the narrations as a whole — all the narrations from the Senate trials that led to these revelations,” Remulla said.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman said that the investigation into former Senate President Chiz Escudero is also ongoing, with authorities tracing possible money trails linked to alleged fund diversions.
“We want to seek other evidence that we’re looking into right now. If you can’t find it on the AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Act) trail, then we will have to follow up on the cash trail,” Remulla said in a mix of English and Filipino.