Many House solons will take a hit —Remulla

Saying that many legislators would be affected, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he plans to talk with House Speaker Faustino Dy regarding the ongoing investigation into members of Congress who are also contractors of high-value projects.

The congressmen-contractors have been implicated in anomalous flood control projects.

It is “no small matter” that nearly 10 percent of the House of Representatives could be affected by the investigation, Remulla said on Wednesday.

He said his office has sought a Foreign Travel Restriction Order (FTRO) against 77 government officials and personnel, including lawmakers, who are under investigation in the flood control kickback mess.

Remulla said that placing government officials under FTRO prevents them from leaving the country while under investigation.

The FTRO is also consistent with the requirement for government officials to secure a travel authority before leaving for abroad, he added.

“We requested assistance from the Bureau of Immigration to hold 77 people under fact-finding investigation under the FTRO,” Remulla said. Last week, the Ombudsman filed malversation and two counts of graft charges against former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co, officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and board directors of private firm Sunwest Construction over their alleged involvement in a substandard P289-million dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

This was the only case filed so far before the Sandiganbayan as a result of the “Floodgate” probes.

Co and the 7 ‘contractors’

Another referral will be filed by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) against Co and seven other lawmakers with the Office of the Ombudsman involving 1,300 infrastructure projects from 2016 to 2024.

ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr., in a briefing, said Co and seven other solons appeared to have violated the Code of Conduct for Government Officials and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, among other things.

“These so-called congressmen-contractors are those members of Congress or their partners or family members who own construction firms that receive project awards or obtain contracts from the DPWH,” Reyes said.

Reyes said that aside from Co, the other respondents are four district representatives and three partylist lawmakers. They are Bulacan 2nd District Rep. Augustina Dominique Pancho, Cagayan 3rd District Rep. Joseph Lara, Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco Matugas, Tarlac 3rd District Rep. Noel Rivera, CWS Partylist Rep. Edwin Gardiola, Uswag Ilonggo Partylist Rep. James Ang Jr., and Pusong Pinoy Partylist Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay.

P6.3-B assets frozen--Berberabe

The government has placed some P6.3-billion worth of assets under freeze orders as part of an intensified campaign to recover alleged unlawfully acquired wealth, Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe said on Wednesday.

So far, Berberabe said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), represented in court by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), obtained seven freeze orders, with nine more applications pending.

“These involve bank accounts and real properties. The P6.3 billion already covered by freeze orders is what has been logged in our office so far,” she said, adding that the amount is expected to rise as agencies tighten their coordination on asset recovery linked to corruption cases, including the ongoing investigations into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.

Meanwhile, the SolGen said the Marcos administration is now relying heavily on laws that will shift the burden of proof to public officials, requiring them to explain assets that appear disproportionate to their lawful income. 

AMLC takes action

The Anti-Money Laundering Council also issued two additional freeze orders on the assets of “an incumbent high-ranking official from an independent constitutional body and a former elected government official” allegedly linked to the anomalous flood control projects.

In a statement on its website, the AMLC said the frozen assets were found to violate the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as the Malversation of Public Funds and Property provisions under the Revised Penal Code.

“The freeze orders encompass 230 bank accounts, 15 insurance policies, two helicopters, and one airplane. The air assets alone are valued at approximately P3.9 billion,” the AMLC said.