Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla traveled to Cebu City on Monday to pledge a sweeping crackdown on systemic corruption in government, with a particular focus on anomalous and "ghost" flood control projects that have drawn public outrage following severe flooding across the country.
Speaking before provincial officials and employees during his visit, Remulla said the time has come to restore integrity and genuine public service in government institutions, according to statements made during the event.
Plunder Charges Eyed Against Lawmaker-Contractors
Among the key reforms Remulla outlined, the Ombudsman said his office would aggressively pursue conflicts of interest at the highest levels of government. This includes the filing of plunder charges against members of Congress who allegedly acted as contractors themselves and profited directly from flood control funds.
Remulla also pushed for legislation mandating the full digitization of all government contracts, salaries, and permits — from the barangay level up to the highest national offices — to eliminate the spaces where corruption traditionally thrives.
Certainty of Punishment Over Death Penalty
Addressing the broader anti-corruption framework, Remulla argued that the strongest deterrent against graft is not capital punishment but the certainty that offenders will actually serve prison time.
He said achieving this requires cases to be built on solid, irrefutable evidence from the earliest stage of case buildup, so they cannot be weakened or politicized once they reach the courts.
"We want Filipinos to rally behind public servants who stay true to their duty. This is the foundation for working together toward a better nation," Remulla said, speaking in Cebuano.
Three Batches of Criminal Cases Filed Within First 100 Days
The Cebu visit comes as the Office of the Ombudsman continues its nationwide investigation into anomalous flood control projects. According to GMA News Online, Ombudsman prosecutors filed three separate batches of criminal cases over flood control anomalies within Remulla's first 100 days in office.
The first batch involves malversation and graft charges against former Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co and 16 others in connection with an alleged ₱289-million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.
The second batch covers charges against contractor Sarah Discaya and others over a ₱96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental. The third batch includes charges against former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., GMA News Online reported.
Cebu Hardest Hit by Typhoon Tino, Prompting Priority Status
The Ombudsman's visit to Cebu carries added weight given the province's recent disaster record. According to the Daily Tribune, Cebu recorded the highest death toll in the country from Typhoon Tino, making it a priority area for the Ombudsman's special task force on flood control projects.
The task force has committed to prioritizing infrastructure investigations in areas most severely affected by the typhoon, GMA News Online reported.
₱26.7-Billion Worth of Cebu Projects Under Scrutiny
The scope of potential accountability in Cebu is significant. Advocacy groups have called for a formal investigation into 414 infrastructure projects worth ₱26.7 billion in Cebu alone, according to GMA News Online.
The sheer scale of the flagged projects underscores why Remulla chose Cebu as the destination for his post-typhoon accountability visit, as the province sits at the intersection of disaster vulnerability and alleged infrastructure fraud.
Remulla's Background and Appointment
Remulla, who previously served as Secretary of Justice, assumed office as the country's seventh Ombudsman in October 2025. His appointment brought a prosecutorial and legislative perspective to the role, and his early months in office have been marked by high-profile case filings tied to public infrastructure funds.
By the Numbers
- ₱289 million — alleged value of substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro involving former congressman Zaldy Co and 16 others
- ₱96.5 million — alleged value of ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental involving contractor Sarah Discaya
- 3 batches — criminal case batches filed by Ombudsman prosecutors within Remulla's first 100 days in office
- 414 infrastructure projects — flagged by advocacy groups in Cebu alone for investigation
- ₱26.7 billion — total value of the 414 Cebu infrastructure projects under scrutiny
- October 2025 — month Remulla assumed office as the country's seventh Ombudsman
Why This Matters
The Ombudsman's Cebu visit signals a nationally consequential shift toward prosecuting high-level conflicts of interest, including sitting legislators who allegedly used public infrastructure funds for personal gain. With 414 projects worth ₱26.7 billion flagged in Cebu alone, the investigation's scope represents one of the largest accountability exercises in recent Philippine public works history.
Remulla's push for mandatory digitization of government contracts and the certainty-of-punishment framework, if enacted and enforced, could structurally reduce the conditions that allow ghost projects to persist across administrations.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Office of the Ombudsman / official release