Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said no “direct offer” ever reached him regarding the alleged P1 billion proposal supposedly made to stop investigations into flood control anomalies involving him and his brother, Jonvic Remulla.
The Ombudsman said that while several individuals attempted to act as intermediaries, the supposed negotiation lacked a clear or direct connection.
According to Remulla, the alleged attempt was relayed through a chain of acquaintances, which he described as weak and unreliable.
“I asked him about that. Well, the problem in our society, we have a lot of interconnections with each other.Sometimes, it becomes flimsy. The talk has no basis (already). ‘A friend of a friend of a friend’,” the Ombudsman said.
On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disclosed that the alleged offer had been communicated through a mutual friend close to the siblings, but said he immediately rejected it and informed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
“May nabanggit sa’kin kung pwede raw. Sabi ko, ‘Huwag na ako kausapin. Huwag na Tayo mag-usap kung ganyan lang. Tinigil ko na ‘yung usapan,” he stated.
“It was a private meeting and I informed the President immediately what was going on. And I said, ‘okay’. He knew it was bound to happen, but he acknowledged na tama ‘yung ginawa ko dahil tumanggi na ako,” Jonvic added.
The Interior secretary declined to identify the individual behind the alleged offer and stressed that the approach was made solely through intermediaries. He also said he did not personally know the individuals involved.
Ombudsman Remulla said that due to the absence of a “strong basis,” the matter could not stand as a bribery case, noting that no direct offer was made that would warrant an arrest.
However, he said he advised his brother to remain vigilant and to explore the possibility of apprehending anyone who might attempt to directly offer a bribe during the course of investigations.
“I actually told him. In things like that, look into opportunities to arrest (him/her). Because, on those matters, If there's really a direct connection, arrest him. Because that's bribery, corruption of public offices,” Remulla said.
Amid the ongoing probe into flood control anomalies, the Ombudsman also cited the arrest warrant issued in the case involving missing sabungeros, which he said occurred during his time as Justice secretary.
“So, our lesson here, it’s just like flood control, or corruption cases, you should work on it every day. Don't give up on anything. That's the lesson that we learned here, the fruit will bear if you work on it. So, 43 months in the making, finally, they have a warrant of arrest,” he said.
“That's what we call the process of law. Sometimes, it's slow, but if you persevere, and you work every day, you'll get it. So, that's what we're talking about when it comes to due process,” he added.