Flood control bribery: Cases against suspects imminent – Remulla

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Monday said the individuals who allegedly tried to bribe him and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla would soon face charges over the flood control scandal.

“They will face charges any time now. In the next two to three weeks, they will be charged at the Sandiganbayan. That’s why their bribe was for nothing,” Remulla said in Filipino during an interview on GMA’s “Balitanghali.”

He earlier told reporters that a government contractor based in Luzon tried to bribe him through a mutual friend around three weeks ago, and that a congressman-contractor based in Visayas-Mindanao attempted to bribe him as well through another intermediary last week.

Remulla declined to name the would-be bribers.

READ: Remulla bares second bribe try to clear flood control suspects

“It’s part of the way things are in the Philippines. They will do everything in their power. They think the solution is with us. But, really, we don’t have the solution,” Remulla said mostly in Filipino.

“The case will be filed. The investigation is ongoing. And it would be highly questionable if the Ombudsman suddenly absolves high-profile suspects — it’s not that easy. We really don’t aspire to profit from this position,” he added.

Remulla, however, previously assured that he declined the offers and reported both incidents to the president.

The interior secretary and the ombudsman are brothers. /jpv