Marcos dismayed over alleged bribe attempts on Remullas — Palace

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is dismayed over reports that a congressman and a contractor allegedly tried to bribe Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and his brother Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla amid the flood control corruption probe.

At a press briefing Monday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the President was not happy since despite the investigation into the anomalies, some individuals still choose to engage in corrupt practices.

''Ang pakiramdam po ng Pangulo, hindi po siya natuwa. Ang reaksiyon niya dito noong binanggit po ito ay hindi po siya natuwa dahil hanggang ngayon po kahit na po nagpapaimbestiga siya ng korupsiyon mayroon pa rin pong gusto na mangorap ‘di ba sa mga opisyal natin na siyang nagpapaimbestiga at tumutupad sa batas para mapanagot itong mga corrupt officials o mga corrupt individuals na ito,'' Castro told reporters.

(The President was not happy. His reaction was that he was unhappy because despite the investigation some individuals still chose to engage in corrupt activities.)

She said the President is confident with how the Remullas work, noting that they are dedicated with their respective mandate.

''Hindi po natuwa ang Pangulo but wala siyang particular na inuutos dahil alam naman po niya na si Sec. Jonvic at pati po si Ombudsman Remulla ay maaasahan po para sa katotohanan at dedicated po sila sa kanilang trabaho,'' Castro said.

Earlier, Jonvic said the attempts were made through "emissaries" of the “contractor” and “incumbent congressman-contractor.”

Asked why the they were not immediately arrested, Jonvic said they can easily deny that the bribe attempts came from them and dismissed the reports as “hearsay” because these were not direct offers. 

Jonvic also said he did not reach out to the congressman and contractor after the incidents, as he did not personally know them, and such actions are outside his function as Interior and Local Government secretary.

For his part, Ombudsman Remulla said such attempts to bribe them were not made to him directly but through intermediaries. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News