DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla – Photo courtesy of Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday revealed that he and his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, were targeted in a second bribery attempt tied to the ongoing flood control investigation.
Remulla said one attempt came from a group in Visayas-Mindanao, while another originated from Luzon, involving a contractor and a congressman who is also a contractor.
He said the alleged bribe sought their assistance in removing certain personalities from the investigation list and securing their release on bail.
The DILG chief emphasized that such requests could not be accommodated, saying, “It’s not in our system, and we wouldn’t allow it.”
He previously told reporters that a “mutual friend” had relayed an earlier offer of P1 billion from a congressman to “quiet down” the probe into flood control anomalies.
Remulla clarified that the allegations did not involve former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, who faces graft and malversation charges over a P286.5-million flood control project in Mindoro.
He said he informed his brother about the supposed bribe attempt, recalling the Ombudsman’s reaction: “‘Is that really how small they think of us?’ he laughed.”