MANILA — Ombudsman Boying Remulla described Davao City as an alleged “epicenter” of flood-control corruption predating the Marcos administration, while stressing that his office is still studying the matter and gathering evidence.
“Davao po iyong ecosystem na aming tinutukoy dahil doon po ang maraming pondo na pumasok daw sa flood control. ’Yan po ang aming kinakalap nang husto,” Remulla said during House budget deliberations on Aug. 25.
He emphasised that the matter remains under investigation and that the evidence is still being evaluated.
An allegation, not a finding
Remulla’s own framing is important: he referred to funds that “daw” — reportedly — entered flood-control projects, and said his office is still collecting material. No charges arising from that description have been filed, and no court has ruled on it.
The Office of the Ombudsman investigates and prosecutes public officials, filing cases before the Sandiganbayan where warranted. A statement during budget deliberations is not a charge.
Where it sits in the wider inquiry
The remarks come as the flood-control controversy moves from the Senate to the Ombudsman. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, deferred the next steps of its investigation to the Ombudsman, with Tulfo arguing that route could produce accountability faster.
That inquiry has centred on allegations by former security personnel that kickbacks from flood-control projects were delivered to public officials, claims complicated by a series of witness recantations.
What our readers said
Breaking News Negros Oriental reviewed 191 comments left on its own coverage of this story. The most common theme was questions about timing or priorities, appearing in 39 of 178 comments carrying text — about 22 per cent.
Other recurring themes were sympathy, prayers or condolence (18), criticism of government or officials (12), politics, campaigning or elections (10), appreciation or thanks (9).
Themes were identified by keyword analysis of comment text. The sample reflects the reaction of this publication’s readers rather than a scientific survey of public opinion, and individual commenters are not identified.
Reporting by Breaking News Negros Oriental. The matter described is under investigation. All allegations are unproven and no court has ruled on them.
