Senate defers flood control probe to Ombudsman

The Senate blue ribbon committee has deferred to the Office of the Ombudsman the investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects to speed up the proceedings, panel chairman Erwin Tulfo said Friday. Tulfo made the announcement after he and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian met with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla at the anti-graft agency's office in Quezon City. Senator Erwin Tulfo, chair of Senate blue ribbon panel, says Senate blue ribbon won’t probe of flood control cases to the Ombudsman which is already conducting an ongoing probe on the matter @gmanews pic.twitter.com/iDOOopGYKT “Initially, ang napag-usapan namin sa Ombudsman na everything that has to do with flood control sila na maghahawak. Kasi ang dami na ring ongoing…tumatakbo na ‘yung mga naisubmit na sa kanila, ‘yung congressman, contractors, sa Senate, and high-ranking officials gumugulong na,” he told reporters. (Initially, what we discussed is that the Ombudsman will handle everything that has to do with the flood control projects because their investigation is already ongoing.) “Kung pakialaman pa namin, baka mapurnada pa. We don't want to do that,” Tulfo added. (If we intervene, it could jeopardize the cases. We don't want to do that.) Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Senator Erwin Tulfo meet Ombudsman Boying Remulla on Friday, August 7 (📷 from Office of Sen. Tulfo) @gmanews pic.twitter.com/6yftZO4q8h The Ombudsman has filed at least six batches of flood control cases since Remulla assumed his post as Ombudsman in October 2025, including the capital offense of plunder against Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Public Works chief Manuel Bonoan. —AOL, GMA News