By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said the anti-graft body will review a previous ruling on charges arising from infrastructure projects built during the hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG).
Remulla said the reopening of the case is not covered by double jeopardy since it was not filed in the courts in 2021.
He said it is too early to say whether the Office of the Ombudsman will summon Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who was the chair of the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).
“There is a time for everything. We first need to study how our office came out with the resolution in 2021,” he said.
Criminal and administrative charges filed against former Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and now Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon and several others, were dismissed for insufficiency of evidence in a resolution issued in December 2021.
Meanwhile, National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag said his office would subpoena Phisgoc officials as part of its own investigation.
Among those to be subpoenaed are Phisgoc chair Ramon “Tats” Suzara, Phisgoc Chief Financial Officer Dexter Estacio and Corporate Secretary John Lester Buenconsejo.
Matibag said the subpoenas will be issued on Monday for them to appear before the NBI on July 24.
The NBI’s investigation, he said, was prompted by “new information and documents” it received pertaining to multibillion-peso allocations for projects undertaken by Phisgoc. (PNA)
