Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla says his office is now looking into the possible links of contractor spouses Curlee and Sarah Discaya with Sen. Mark Villar and his mother, former senator Cynthia Villar.
In an interview aired on GMA News’ 24 Oras on Thursday night, Remulla said that while his office has yet to gather evidence, he believes that the Discaya spouses could be protecting not just Sen. Bong Go but also the Villars.
‘That’s just a possibility,’ Remulla said.
He pointed out that the construction business of the Discayas grew exponentially during the previous administration when the younger Villar was the secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2016 to 2021.
‘When Mark was the secretary, that was the time that their business grew, that was the time that they bagged so many project contracts.They really raked it in when Mark was the secretary,’ Remulla said in Filipino.
Asked about Cynthia Villar’s possible links with the Discayas, Remulla said his office does not have direct evidence yet, but it could be possible that the Discayas rubbed elbows or made ‘extra effort’ to seek favor in connection with their construction business.
‘I don’t have direct evidence there yet, but because of Mark’s stay (in the DPWH) and knowing that the Discayas became very big during that time, they sought favor with these people. They really wanted to be ‘in.’ They wouldn’t be ‘in’ if they didn’t make an extra effort,’ he said.
Remulla said the Ombudsman is also looking into several infrastructure projects in Cavite bagged by Princess Revilla, sister of former senator Bong Revilla.
‘Because his sibling is their contractor. His sister, Princess Revilla, a.k.a. Rebecca B. Ocampo, Rebecca Bautista Ocampo, that’s Princess Revilla. She is the contractor for all of their projects,’ he said.
‘You’re talking about Bong, Lani and the children. They are all included. This is serious, this is serious,’ Remulla said, referring to Revilla’s wife, Cavite 2nd District Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla.
Remulla had earlier said his office will investigate the alleged links of the Discayas with Davao-based contractor CLTG Builders owned by the father of Sen. Bong Go.
Remulla said the Discayas were evasive when asked by investigators of the Department of Justice (DOJ) about their firm St. Gerrard Construction’s previous joint venture dealings with CLTG, supposedly to protect the senator.
DOJ: Martin not eyed as state witness
The justice department has denied speculations that former House speaker, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez is currently being considered as a state witness in the probe into the flood control project anomalies.
‘There is no factual or legal basis to this misinformation,’ the DOJ said in a press statement yesterday.
The DOJ explained that to be considered as a state witness, an application must be formally filed through the Witness Protection, Security and Benefits Program, after which, the application will undergo evaluation ‘to ascertain whether or not the applicant qualifies as state witness.’
‘As of date, former Speaker Martin Romualdez has not filed an application for state witness with the DOJ,’ the agency said.
‘The DOJ cautions everyone to not fall for false, misleading facts or political propaganda that twists or misuses legal terms to confuse the public,’ it added.
The DOJ, nonetheless, assured the public that ‘all investigations will be done swiftly and fairly.’
‘No one will be spared if the evidence so warrants. The Department will go where the evidence leads us,’ the DOJ said.
‘The Department of Justice remains firm and steadfast in our commitment to uphold the rule of law, guided by facts – not politics,’ it added.
Tiangco at ICI anew
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco appeared anew before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to answer more questions about the corruption ‘modus operandi’ in public works.
‘It’s mostly about the process so they can understand what the possible gaps are, where corruption is possible, how to cover it all up,’ Tiangco said on Friday.
The Navotas lawmaker, who has been outspoken on anomalies surrounding budget insertions, said that he received an invitation from the ICI two days ago.
Amid criticisms that the commission is toothless and secretive in prosecuting culprits of the flood control mess, Tiangco commended the fact-finding body for its integrity.
‘I don’t know how they conduct it with other resource persons, but they are very professional,’ he said. ‘My impression is they’re building the evidence to make it strong when it’s presented to the court.’
Tiangco warned, however, that public anger would erupt if the government fails to bring home resigned Ako Bicol party-list lawmaker Zaldy Co, the former chair of the appropriations panel at the center of questionable budget insertions.
‘The people’s sentiment is that they will not accept that Zaldy Co will not be returned; it should be understood by those who have the power to do so,’ he said.
‘Let’s not try the patience of the people. In my opinion, that’s where the people will really get angry, and maybe that’s where they will doubt the sincerity of the investigation,’ he added.
Tiangco is puzzled why the Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet canceled Co’s passport. He noted that under the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, the DFA secretary or consular officers can cancel a passport ‘in the interest of national security, public safety and public health.’
‘People are very angry. There are mass movements. These mass movements can be taken advantage of by bad elements to destabilize the government. Isn’t that a national security issue?’ Tiangco said.
Speaker Faustino Dy III had disclosed that he had already coordinated with the DOJ to swiftly cancel the passport of Co, whose whereabouts remain a mystery.