Start with the records, Morales tells Remulla on Villanueva case

MANILA, Philippines — Former ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has a piece of advice for Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who is currently probing how and why Sen. Joel Villanueva’s dismissal order was reversed: start with the records.

Remulla had consulted Morales on the case, since the latter issued the 2016 dismissal order of then congressman Villanueva for the misuse of his P10-million Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel.

“She (Morales) said start with the records because we cannot rely on recollection. Relying on recollection is not the best way to treat the subject matter. So we’re having it analyzed right now,” Remulla said in an interview with “Facts First” aired on YouTube.

Remulla admitted he was surprised when Villanueva revealed that the dismissal order had been reversed by then ombudsman Samuel Martires in 2019, saying it was “thought-provoking” that it was kept silent when it is a “celebrated” case.

“It involves a senator of the Republic so the people have a right to know what happened. I was just surprised we didn’t know, why no one knew,” he added.

Remulla earlier said he would seek to implement Villanueva’s dismissal, but it was later revealed that the lawmaker’s expulsion has been reversed in 2019 by what Remulla called a “secret decision” which granted Villanueva’s motion for reconsideration.

The ombudsman said his office is looking into whether Villanueva’s motion was filed within the prescribed period of five days.

“She (Morales) stayed on for 19 more months. Therefore if she saw a motion for reconsideration that time, she would’ve dismissed it. That’s how I thought when I was looking at the case,” he said.

Remulla also noted how the granting of Villanueva’s motion for reconsideration occurred in 2019, three years after the dismissal order, saying it seemed like an “afterthought.”

Remulla believes Villanueva’s case should have reached the Sandiganbayan, considering that there are matters that would have been better handled by the court.

“You’re already talking about evidence and experts’ testimonies. It should have gone through the court so that questions of the public would be better answered,” he said.

Asked whether there is a chance to reopen the case and bring it to the anti-graft court, Remulla said Villanueva is facing extra cases anyway in the alleged anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan.

This involves the testimony of former Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan 1st district engineer Henry Alcantara, who alleged that Villanueva received a P150-million share for a P600-million multi-purpose building project in the province through the senator’s aide nicknamed “Peng.” — Neil Jayson Servallos