Big fish are coming soon.’
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla made this pronouncement after authorities announced that they had taken into custody eight of the 16 accused of graft and malversation in connection with an anomalous P289.5-million flood control project.
‘In the normal process of law, we should expect the (private contractor couple) Discayas, the senators, the congressmen, they will all be jailed within the next five weeks. They will be arraigned one after the other.,’ Remulla said in a press briefing at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas on Monday.
Last Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the issuance of arrest warrants against 16 individuals, including former House of Representatives appropriations committee chairperson and (resigned) Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.
Co’s 15 co-accused included several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways Mimaropa (DPWH 4B) and Sunwest Corporation, a construction firm linked to Co.
Co has since denied the allegations against him and instead accused Marcos and his cousin, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez. The lawmaker resigned as House Speaker after he was implicated in receiving kickbacks from corruption in infrastructure projects.
Asked whether the ‘big fish’ included the former Speaker, Remulla said, ‘There’s nothing yet to that effect. We’re still waiting on the developments. If you look at it, he hasn’t faced anyone but the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure).’
Last week, the DPWH and the ICI recommended plunder, graft, and direct bribery cases before the Ombudsman against Romualdez and Co over flood control projects worth billions of pesos.
‘But, the Ombudsman doesn’t have a comment yet,’ the DILG chief said of his brother Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Romualdez has since denied Co’s allegations against him, while Marcos said he will not even ‘dignify’ the claims with a response.
The six males from the eight taken into custody were ordered by the Sandiganbayan to be detained at the New Quezon City Jail.
The DILG chief was at the facility and reiterated that those detained over the flood control case will not be given special treatment.