Ombudsman, Romualdez clash over evidence
Romualdez had accused Remulla of prejudice after the Ombudsman identified him as among the alleged masterminds of the flood control scandal.
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Romualdez had accused Remulla of prejudice after the Ombudsman identified him as among the alleged masterminds of the flood control scandal.
The Office of the Ombudsman said Thursday it was not surprised by the recantation of several bodyguards of former Representative Zaldy Co, who had alleged that lawmakers received up to billions of pesos from anomalous flood control kickback schemes.
“Recantations in high profile cases are not new. This is a classic pressure tactic. The entire investigation does not revolve around one or a couple of witnesses,” the Ombudsman’s office said in a statement.
The anti-graft body said it had 28 witnesses prepared to provide “direct” and “material” information on transactions involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The witnesses are undergoing legal processes and include active uniformed personnel, it said.
The Ombudsman warned that those who attempt to obstruct its investigation would face prosecution. “The search for truth will not stop even if the people do not speak up,” it said.
The statement came a day after Orly Guteza, the first alleged Co bodyguard to testify publicly about the scheme, recanted his allegations.
In a 13 August sworn affidavit, Guteza said his testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in 2025 was orchestrated by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former representative Mike Defensor.
He also claimed he was promised money and educational scholarships for his children in exchange for appearing in the Senate probe. Guteza became the fifth alleged Co bodyguard to recant within a month.
Dismissal sought
Romualdez’s lawyer, Atty. Ade Fajardo, meanwhile, urged the Ombudsman to dismiss the case, saying it had no credible evidence against his client.
“It’s a non-case, it should be dismissed because they have no other evidence aside from stories, and the story keeps changing, it keeps flipping, sometimes people get involved, sometimes people get removed depending on the wave of politics,” Fajardo said in a press briefing.
He said testimonies from Co’s alleged bodyguards were unreliable because their accounts and the identities of those implicated had repeatedly changed.
Fajardo also pointed to cyberlibel and perjury cases filed by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice against some of the individuals, saying that other government agencies had questioned the credibility of their allegations.
Prejudice
Romualdez’s camp also questioned the Ombudsman’s decision to proceed with the investigation despite a pending motion seeking the inhibition of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“We filed a motion to inhibit the Ombudsman from this investigation. We want a fair, impartial investigation. And by requiring the former Speaker to actually file his counter-affidavit without acting on the motion for inhibition, I think that may be considered a grave abuse of discretion,” Fajardo said.
