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MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has found irregularities in the declared wealth of members of the House of Representatives who are tagged in the flood control project scandal.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the irregularities were found when investigators looked into the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) of the lawmakers, who have also been subjected to lifestyle checks.
“We found there are (irregularities),” he said yesterday over dzBB when asked about updates on cases involving alleged “congtractors.”
“We are strengthening our lifestyle checks at the Office of the Ombudsman because what happens there is, the SALNs we receive we compare to all the registries and we check if what they declared matches those found listed on the registries,” Clavano added.
He declined to name the lawmakers with alleged irregularities in their SALNs as “it is still an ongoing investigation” and the anti-graft body “has more to do.”
In April, the Office of the Ombudsman obtained copies of the SALNs of 26 House members who have been tagged in the flood control controversy. Clavano said copies of other congressmen’s SALN will also be subpoenaed as the anti-graft body digs deeper into the scandal.
He earlier clarified that the ombudsman’s efforts to secure copies of SALNs of lawmakers is not limited to the flood control project scandal alone but also include other infrastructure-related anomalies.
Clavano also said Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered lifestyle checks on the 26 House members, who are allegedly also acting as government contractors or “congtractors.”
Last year, Remulla said there are 12 to 15 House members with undeniable links to construction firms that bagged millions in government public works contracts. He said more than 10 percent of the 317-seat chamber may be involved in the multibillion-peso flood control project controversy.
Ping: Sigh of relief
Sen. Panfilo Lacson heaved a sigh of relief now that the powerful Blue Ribbon committee is no longer under his helm, taking pride in last year’s series of investigations on the flood control mess that resulted in the filing of cases and investigations on his colleagues allegedly involved in the kickbacks scheme.
“Double relief. I feel relieved that I am now relieved of my duties as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman,” Lacson said on X.
Lacson said that all chairpersons of the Senate committees are elected by their peers and thus serve at the pleasure of their colleagues.
He added losing the Blue Ribbon post to Sen. Pia Cayetano will not sway him in his fight against corruption as senator. “I will continue to fight a corrupt and rotten system in the misuse and abuse of public funds as I have consistently done in the course of my long years in public service,” Lacson said.
In a statement, Cayetano thanked the leadership of her younger brother Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano for entrusting her with the post to investigate in aid of legislation government malfeasance and corruption.
“I thank the Senate leadership for the trust and confidence placed in me in once again designating me as the Chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Committee. I do not take this lightly,” Cayetano said.
“As a lawyer, a former Chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Committee, and one of the most senior members of the Senate, I will begin reviewing the matters referred to the Committee,” she added.
“Given the many ongoing issues affecting our country and our people, including the ongoing energy crisis, households struggling to make ends meet, and the rising cost of doing business, I will determine what matters will be prioritized by the Blue Ribbon Committee. Updates will be provided in due course,” she said.
During the 19th Congress, the Blue Ribbon while Cayetano was chair investigated the Filipino citizenship for sale scheme by local civil registries, the Philippines’ “Dirty Ashtray” award for allegedly promoting the tobacco industry, the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela, and former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
But Cayetano only led the probe on Dirty Ashtray award and the citizenship for sale issue, leaving it to other colleagues to head subcommittees to investigate the other pressing topics.
