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Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
December 2, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — “We are heading toward the sharks and the whales.”
This was what Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla assured the public yesterday, amid the rising demand for the indictment of the “big fish” in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
“That’s where we are going. That is forthcoming,” Remulla said during a Palace press briefing yesterday.
During the Trillion Peso March last Sunday at EDSA, protesters called on Marcos to charge, arrest and jail not just small offenders, but also the “big fish” and to combat corrupt practices and political dynasties.
“Let us give the ombudsman enough time because the ombudsman observes ethics when filing cases. He wants reasonable cases, reasonable certainty for conviction. So, if he has not filed it, that means he is not yet sure. If he files it, that means he is sure that everyone will be convicted. So in his own time, it will come out,” Remulla said.
Remulla is the younger brother of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who assumed his post last October.
“Capturing them is not the issue. They’re in the Philippines, we will find them. It is the wheels of justice we are waiting for. The ombudsman will file the necessary cases in its own time and after that, if they have the warrant of arrest, we will get them. Hundred percent, we will get them,” Remulla stressed.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos is focused on the investigations into the personalities linked to the flood control mess and is determined to recover the stolen public funds.
“Everyone will be held to account. President Marcos is confident that those who are involved will be held to account through thorough gathering of evidence and the filing of solid cases. To our countrymen crying for justice against corruption, the President will not fail you,” the Palace press officer said.
Stronger safeguards needed
Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito said stronger safeguards in public works are essential to restoring the confidence of legitimate construction firms and ensuring that infrastructure programs proceed without disruption.
One of these safeguards is the use of clear station numbers or coordinates for every project of the DPWH.
Ejercito said precise project mapping improves identification, reduces opportunities for manipulation, and strengthens monitoring on the ground.
He added that these measures give reputable contractors greater assurance that projects will move under transparent and predictable conditions.
“If contractors are confident, projects move. And when high-impact projects move, so do jobs and our economy,” he said.
Ejercito stressed that continued construction activity is critical to sustaining the sector’s multiplier effect and supporting employment and local growth.
Back at work
Meanwhile, Justice Undersecretary Jose Cadiz Jr., who has been implicated by resigned congressman and now fugitive Zaldy Co in the flood control scandal, has returned to work after a week-long leave of absence.
According to Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Polo Martinez, Cadiz reported back for duty on Dec. 1 after taking a leave of absence from Nov. 21 to 28.
Co earlier claimed Cadiz was involved in the alleged delivery of kickbacks supposedly intended for President Marcos and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez related to the controversial flood control projects.
The DOJ earlier said Cadiz remains in his post and that the department has no jurisdiction in investigating him as it is up to the ombudsman to pursue an investigation and pursue cases. — Daphne Galvez
