The Office of the Ombudsman said on Monday that it is reviewing hundreds of boxes of documents submitted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) as it prepares possible cases against lawmakers linked to the alleged flood control scandal.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Monday the agency was digitalizing the materials to allow lawyers to examine the evidence and consider referrals made by the commission.

A total of 197 mega boxes of documents were turned over to the Ombudsman on Friday, containing records and interviews gathered by the commission since it was created in September 2025 to investigate irregularities in flood control projects.

Clavano said the agency was focusing on lawmakers who may have had financial interests in government-funded construction projects, which he said could constitute a conflict of interest.

“They really need to be charged. It’s not as heavy as malversation, it’s not non-bailable because it’s only a conflict of interest, but there has to be some sort of accountability,” he said.

Under Philippine law, Clavano noted, lawmakers are prohibited from acting as contractors or having financial interests in government projects funded by public money.

Possible cases may involve violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act of 1960.

Clavano said the investigation has uncovered multiple leads that require further scrutiny.

“Our feeling is that the more we know, the more we have to know. When we learn something, it branches out further,” he said in Filipino during a DZMM interview. “Of course, the challenge is that it’s often half-truths and half-lies. Our witnesses really need to be properly developed.”

He added that the Ombudsman does not accept state witnesses and instead relies on its own investigative capabilities to build cases.

No timeline

“A lot of the cases, especially those we submitted to the DoJ, are already in the preliminary investigation since they are the first ones to interview the witnesses,” Clavano said.

The assistant ombudsman emphasized that the involvement of lawmakers in construction companies or contracting firms is a major concern for the agency.

“It is part of our mandate to do this because it is blatant,” he said in Filipino, referring to possible conflicts of interest in flood control projects.

Clavano declined to provide a timeline for the investigation, saying prosecutors had learned not to disclose details that could compromise the probe.

“We learned our lesson not to give timelines. What I can say is that our investigation is still ongoing, and the reason we haven’t spoken much is because we don’t want our plans to be telegraphed,” he said.