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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
April 7, 2026 | 4:23pm
MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Boying Remulla has ordered the House of Representatives to turn over all wealth declarations of Deputy Secretary General Sofonias "Ponyong" Gabonada Jr. for his office's ongoing probe into irregularities in infrastructure projects.
Remulla directed the lower chamber to submit certified true copies of Gabonada's Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from the start of his work at the House up to the present, according to a subpoena dated March 25, received April 7, and addressed to House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil.
The subpoena gave Garafil three days to comply. It also demanded a certification from the House records custodian attesting to the authenticity of the copies.
"We seek these documents to assess whether there has been any undeclared accumulation of wealth or financial anomalies that may indicate misconduct," the subpoena read.
Remulla also warned that failure to comply could result in criminal charges under Article 233 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree No. 1829, as well as administrative sanctions under the Ombudsman Act.
The Ombudsman said Monday that his office needs Gabonada's SALN as part of the plunder cases being prepared against a number of lawmakers linked to the flood control scandal, including Romualdez.
Why Gabonada? The official in question is a former provincial public information officer who served as deputy secretary general under former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
He also heads the Philippine Collective Media Corporation, which operates the FMR radio network tied to Romualdez.
Remulla is particularly vexxed by the House as he accused the lower chamber yesterday of deliberately stonewalling his office's requests for lawmakers' wealth records.
He said House security personnel refused to accept the subpoena, and warned that he would cite Garafil in contempt and suspend her if the documents were not produced this week.
The Ombudsman in February expressed similar frustrations and said the House supposedly restricts access to lawmakers' SALNs. "I’ve been told [it] has to pass the plenary before they release a SALN," Remulla said at the time.
In a statement Monday night, Garafil said her office had no intention of disrespecting the Ombudsman and that all official communications would be handled in accordance with existing rules.
She attributed the delay to the House's current work-from-home arrangement, noting that onsite work is currently limited to Tuesdays and Wednesdays as part of the government's energy-saving measures.
All this is happening amid the House and the Ombudsman's dueling subpoenas.
The House justice panel, chaired by Rep. Gerville Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District), has ordered Remulla to appear at the April 14 hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte and to bring her SALNs covering 2007 to 2013, 2016 to 2022, and 2022 to 2025.
The panel found sufficient grounds to proceed to hearings on March 18, and Duterte has skipped the proceedings in protest of their alleged lack of constitutionality.
Remulla said he intends to comply with the House subpoena, though he said he would send the Ombudsman's SALN custodian rather than appear personally.
Yesterday, he said his office was preparing plunder charges against former Romualdez and former Senate President Chiz Escudero, which he said he expects to file by May. Both former leaders of Congress have denied involvement in the anomalous projects or budget irregularities.
