Metro Manila, Philippines – Ombudsman Crispin Remulla said lawmakers implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal will soon face plunder and graft charges, while other senators are also under investigation for possible violations of the law.
On Tuesday, May 26, Remulla confirmed his office is poised to file plunder charges against Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva for their alleged involvement in the controversy.
He said he is set to sign Estrada’s case information, with the filing with the Sandiganbayan expected by Thursday, May 28.
“Kaya medyo natagalan ng konti, nung binasa namin yung DOJ resolution, mayroon kaming nakitang kailangan ng corrections. Pinulido lang namin kaya inabot pa ng mahigit isang linggo.”
[Translation: That’s why it was delayed a bit. When we reviewed the Department of Justice resolution, we found portions that needed corrections. We refined it further, which is why it took more than a week.]
The anti-graft court acquitted Estrada of plunder in the ₱10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel scam in January 2024. However, the court convicted him of direct and indirect bribery, for which he was sentenced to jail and fined, but he remains free pending his appeal.
Meanwhile, Remulla said his office is also finalizing a plunder case against Villanueva, describing it as “ripe” and likely to be filed within two weeks.
He further said House Speaker Martin Romualdez may face what he described as the “grandest case” tied to the scandal — conspiracy to defraud the national treasury — on top of another money laundering case.
“We’re being very careful about every premise that we make kasi first time ito gagawin sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas na magkakaroon tayo ng ganitong klaseng tao,” said Remulla.
[Translation: We’re being very careful about every premise we make because this will be the first time in Philippine history that we will be dealing with this kind of person.]
“Wala kaming time table dyan, basta yung big case kasi, hindi mo pwedeng lagyan ng timetable yan,” he added.
[Translation: “We don’t have a timetable for that. With a case this big, you cannot put it in a fixed timetable.]
Remulla said around nine to 10 senators are under investigation for possible violations of law, although he declined to identify them
“Wala akong ano eh, kung majority, minority, pare-pareho lang sa akin eh,” he said.
[Translation: It doesn’t matter to me whether they belong to the majority or the minority. I treat them all the same.]
