MANILA (August 27) — Davao City has emerged as a key focus of the government’s widening probe into alleged corruption in flood control projects, with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla describing it as the “epicenter” of the corruption ecosystem before the Marcos administration.
“The epicenter of flood control [corruption] before the Marcos administration was Davao City,” Remulla told the House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday during deliberations on the Office of the Ombudsman’s proposed 2027 budget.
But Remulla immediately cautioned lawmakers against treating the characterization as a final finding.
The Ombudsman, he said, is still gathering evidence and has yet to determine the full extent, mechanics or origins of the alleged corruption.
“I will not draw that conclusion immediately. We are still studying this because what is important is that we see the evidence on the ground,” Remulla said.
He said investigators were particularly examining the large amounts of public money that allegedly flowed into flood control projects in Davao.
“Davao is the ecosystem we are referring to. There were many funds that allegedly went into flood control. That is what we are thoroughly gathering,” he said.
The investigation is also expanding beyond Davao as the Ombudsman seeks to determine whether similar patterns existed in other provinces and where the alleged scheme may have originated.
‘Look at the records’
Remulla’s statement immediately drew scrutiny from lawmakers, including Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, who challenged the characterization and urged the Ombudsman to examine project records before reaching conclusions about the city.
Duterte said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Davao regional office had provided him with records of completed projects covering 2020 to 2022.
He offered to turn over his copy of the documents to Remulla, saying investigators and lawmakers should work from the same set of records.
The issue was initially raised by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, who asked whether the Ombudsman was investigating alleged flood control anomalies from the previous administration, including projects in Davao City.
With congressional inquiries and other investigative mechanisms no longer actively pursuing some of the issues, Tinio noted the importance of the Ombudsman’s continuing investigation.
Remulla said the agency would follow the evidence wherever it leads—even if it points to senior government officials.
“All of that is based on evidence. We will not spare anyone here,” he said.
Evidence before accusations
The Ombudsman’s cautious qualification is significant because the investigation remains unfinished.
Remulla said investigators are having difficulty penetrating what he described as a corruption “ecosystem,” partly because people with knowledge of the transactions are reluctant to come forward.
He also defended the agency’s decision to keep some investigative steps confidential, saying premature disclosure could alert subjects of the investigation and allow them to interfere with evidence or evade scrutiny.
“If we state everything we are doing, then those we are following will know what we are doing,” Remulla said.
“There must be a time when we are quiet about a case.”
Ombudsman wants stronger powers
The Davao probe also exposed what Remulla described as a broader institutional problem: obtaining government records quickly enough to build corruption cases.
The Ombudsman has begun issuing subpoenas but has encountered delays in securing documents from government agencies.
Remulla cited the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Registration Authority and Anti-Money Laundering Council among agencies where obtaining information has proven difficult.
He said the Ombudsman needs contempt powers to compel compliance with its investigations.
“Probably, the one law that we need is the contempt powers that will be given to the Office of the Ombudsman,” Remulla said.
He also pointed to difficulties in obtaining records despite waivers that allow investigators to access financial information.
“Because of that waiver, the BIR should cooperate with us,” he said, adding that slow cooperation has become “one of our problems, one of our headaches.”
Calls to beef up Ombudsman
The proposed expansion of the Ombudsman’s enforcement capacity received backing from Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.
Chua endorsed the proposed creation of Ombudsman Marshals, patterned after the Supreme Court’s Judiciary Marshals.
The proposed unit could serve subpoenas and other official processes, enforce suspension orders, secure government officials and offices, and protect evidence during investigations.
Chua also backed increased funding for the Ombudsman’s project-monitoring and investigative work, particularly the hiring of financial-forensics specialists, fraud investigators and information technology experts.
For the Ombudsman, the Davao investigation is therefore only one piece of a much larger effort: tracing where public flood-control money went, determining whether irregularities followed a broader pattern, and building cases strong enough to withstand scrutiny.
For now, Remulla’s “epicenter” remark remains an investigative lead—not a final finding.
The evidence, he stressed, still has to tell the story.
