MANILA, Philippines — Arrest warrants against several sitting and former senators could be issued as early as next week, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said, confirming that his office is moving forward with multiple corruption-related case build-ups.
In an interview aired Monday with broadcast journalist Karen Davila, Remulla revealed that his office is preparing cases involving Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Mark Villar, and former senators Nancy Binay and Grace Poe. All four have recently been the subject of complaints filed before the Ombudsman.
Pressed on the possibility of arrest warrants being issued soon, Remulla replied, “Possible… maybe next week,” noting that investigators and prosecutors are now in the evidence-gathering phase.
“We’re doing the case build-up now. We’re doing preliminary work. Everything that needs to be done, we’re doing,” he said, emphasizing that the process follows strict protocols. A case build-up typically precedes a preliminary investigation and determines whether prosecutors have grounds to formally pursue charges.
Remulla explained that every complaint received — such as those submitted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — undergoes an internal assessment followed by fact-finding. Only after those steps are completed do prosecutors decide whether to file a case.
He stressed that the Office of the Ombudsman is proceeding carefully. “Haste makes waste,” he said, noting that filing premature cases risks dismissal and burdens the courts with weak evidence. “We don’t want to overburden the court with very weak cases,” he added.
The ICI formally referred Escudero, Villar, Binay, and Poe to the Ombudsman on December 3 following testimony from former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. Bernardo alleged that the lawmakers received kickbacks from flood control projects — accusations that triggered the expanded investigation now underway.
All four lawmakers have denied the allegations. Binay said she had no involvement in flood control projects and no staff capable of executing such schemes. Villar called the claims “baseless,” while Poe maintained she has never participated in corrupt activities.
The Ombudsman has not provided a timeline for the conclusion of the case build-up but indicated that significant developments may emerge in the coming days.
