Malacañang on Monday said the government is ready to imprison individuals linked to the anomalous infrastructure projects of the government.
At a press briefing, Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro reacted to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s earlier statement that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is preparing regular jail facilities to detain individuals who may be charged in connection with the flood control scandal.
Remulla also estimated that the number of individuals to be jailed could reach at least 200.
‘Let’s wait and see because the investigation isn’t over yet. If that’s how he sees it or estimates it, the government is ready if they indeed need to be imprisoned,’ Castro said in Filipino.
The Palace official also affirmed Remulla’s assumption that the first round of indictments could be filed within the next three weeks.
‘That is also ICI’s promise-that there will be a swift filing of the case. It’s just that they are currently gathering enough evidence so that the cases they will file won’t be weak and risk being dismissed. All their efforts would go to waste if the case gets dismissed right away.’
In an interview, Remulla said the ‘rules of the jail will apply to the rich and to the poor the same.’
‘The BJMP is ready. The facilities are ready. We are not backing out of the obligation to fulfill our role as the office in charge of all jails in the Philippines,’ he said.
Former Philippine National Police chief and ICI Special Adviser Rodolfo Azurin Jr. previously said at least 15 cases may be filed before the Ombudsman in the coming weeks.