The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday formally turned over stacks of case files related to the controversial Bulacan flood control projects to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The documents — a cart full of investigation reports, witness statements and other evidence — were handed over by Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon and DoJ Officer-in-Charge Fredderick Vida.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, the previous Justice secretary, said the turnover was a vital step toward the filing of charges in court.
“This will be very helpful, and hopefully it will be evaluated quickly here at the Ombudsman so we can file the cases as soon as possible,” Remulla said in Filipino.
The files pertained to several officials, including former Department of Public Works and Highways district engineer Henry Alcantara and assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, and contractor JP Mendoza.
They could face charges of malversation, falsification of public documents, perjury, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Remulla described the Bulacan cases as “low-hanging fruit” —straightforward enough to resolve quickly, but only the beginning of a much bigger picture.
“These are what we call open-and-shut cases. It’s a ghost project — nothing really happened. The money was released, someone received it, but no project was ever built,” Remulla explained.
He said the investigation into the flood control projects could eventually expose higher-ranking officials.
“This is just the start. We have to begin somewhere,” he said. “We’re already looking into more cases that could reach the people at the top. This Bulacan case can be handled and finished quickly, but we’re working on the other investigations at the same time.”
Remulla said the DoJ, along with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Money Laundering Council, will continue working closely with the Ombudsman.
He said he expects the coming weeks to be “very busy” for his office.
“The public outcry against corruption is so strong — we simply can’t sit around doing nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, DoJ OIC Vida reiterated that all those involved in the “ghost projects” have no right to make demands or conditions, emphasizing that the government’s duty is to serve the people.
“The aggrieved party here is the Filipino public,” Vida said. “Those who caused the grievance have no right to dictate how we should do our work. The government is here to fulfill its duty — and they should be the ones following our rules, not the other way around.”