Plunder raps vs Romualdez ‘very close’ to being filed

The Office of the Ombudsman is nearing the filing of plunder charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, with the high-profile case now moving into the preliminary investigation phase. “We’re very close to filing the plunder charges, but we still have to cross the t’s and dot some I’s and put periods in sentences. That’s how close that is,” Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters yesterday. The ombudsman stressed the importance of an airtight case, noting that Romualdez’s camp reportedly has a legal team of nearly 100 lawyers. When asked if the case against the former speaker would stand even without the potential testimony of former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan, Remulla acknowledged the difficulty of the legal battle ahead. The ombudsman has a pending motion before several divisions of the Sandiganbayan to discharge Bonoan as co-accused in flood control cases and have him instead as a state witness. “When it comes to a case like that, it’s not as simple as you want it to be,” Remulla said. The ombudsman confirmed they are still looking into the House “small committee” lists to illustrate how the allegedly anomalous processes were carried out, despite facing non-cooperation from some former legislators who “obviously... will be implicated.” Beyond the plunder case, the ombudsman is also actively building up cases against several incumbent lawmakers for alleged conflict of interest, specifically for acting as government contractors in violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019). Remulla named Tarlac 2nd district Rep. Cristy Angeles and Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James Ang Jr. as the first two legislators whose cases are ripe for preliminary investigation. He added that the case against former deputy speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. would also “come out already.” The ombudsman criticized the culture of entitlement among some legislators regarding government funds and infrastructure projects. “Section 3(h) of RA 3019 is very clear. For the longest time people took it for granted, they do it because they can. But that will no longer stand,” Remulla said. CWS party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola’s case is also expected to be out within a week, though Remulla noted that building these cases takes meticulous effort, much like the six-month buildup for the Pharmally scandal. Meanwhile, Remulla also disclosed that a preliminary investigation will commence “very soon” for Commission on Audit Commissioner Mario Lipana, whose wife is the president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Inc. that secured P1.89 billion worth of infrastructure projects from 2023 to 2025. Remulla also provided updates on several other high-profile figures and investigations currently being handled by his office, saying cases would still push through against Senators Joel Villanueva and Francis Escudero. Meanwhile, he said former budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman remains part of the investigation’s “universe,” following her recent appointment as chairperson and CEO of state-owned Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines. The recent resignation of health secretary Teodoro Herbosa will also not stop the ongoing probes against him, Remulla said. “The complaints stay. We are evaluating the complaints as we speak,” Remulla confirmed.