Ombudsman orders lifestyle checks on 26 'congtractors'

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered lifestyle checks on 26 House members who are allegedly government contractors at the same time or ‘congtractors,’ Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Thursday. 

Clavano was referring to the 26 House members whose Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) were already obtained by the Ombudsman’s office.

“The first 26, we have already assigned them to the investigative teams to do lifestyle checks as well as further investigation. These are what we call 'congtractors',” Clavano said in a press conference. 

“The SALNs that we were able to obtain are a result of intelligence that we've received that certain congressmen are also contractors and by law, [they] are prohibited from owning contracting firms that deal directly with the government,” he added.

Clavano, however, said the Ombudsman has yet to obtain the SALN of former House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada. 

“We are still waiting for the SALN of Ponyong Gabonada. That is the one that we want, and that is the one that we will proceed on. The second batch of SALN requests for House members is being prepared as far as we know,” Clavano said. 

The repository of the SALNs of House members is the House of Representatives. 

Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public officials provides that “public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income” and that “they should not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form.”

On Tuesday, Clavano assured the public that the office led by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla was committed to prosecuting the perpetrators of corruption, including those responsible for the flood control mess.

“We’ll never neglect our duty. This is the best time to curb corruption. We cannot let this opportunity pass,” Clavano added.

Ombudsman prosecutors have only filed three batches of flood control cases so far since the flood control probe was launched in September 2025. 

These are the following:  

• malversation and graft charges against resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co and at least 15 others over the P289 million alleged substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro;
• malversation and graft charges against contractor Sarah Discaya and several others over the P96.5 million alleged ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental; and 
• malversation and graft charges against former Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr., ex-Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez, and five others over the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. 

“We will look at the SALN and see if they have declared their interests in the companies that we believe are contracting companies that have had contracts with the government. That will first and foremost show that there is a conflict of interest,” Clavano said. 

“Secondly, we’ll see if their SALN entries are disproportionate to what they actually have,” Clavano added.

Clavano then said an undeclared asset in the SALN is subject to another type of legal action under Republic Act 1379 or the Civil Forfeiture for Public Officers.

“(Civil forfeiture) is an easier route for us because under 1379, the burden of proof to show that they have declared everything, and that all their assets are truly theirs, is on them [SALN] owners. Unlike in a civil forfeiture case under the Anti Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the burden is on the prosecution…or on the government, to show na the proceeds [of the public officials] are actually from illegal means,” Clavano said. 

“That is the purpose of the SALN,” he added.

During the same briefing, Clavano said the Ombudsman is also looking at legal ways to sell the two vehicles that were turned over by former Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineering Office to the government, worth P53 million. 

The two vehicles, valued at P35 million and P18 million, respectively, were recently turned over to the Ombudsman by the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, whose tenure already ended on March 31. 

“We want to preserve the value of the cars so we can return the amount to the public coffers. We want to sell the vehicles,  but we're still finding the legal mechanism to do so,” Clavano said. 

Unlike the vehicles of contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, which were auctioned off due to having faulty importation papers, Clavano said that Hernandez’s vehicles did not have a Customs issue. 

“The vehicles of Hernandez are not under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Customs, but it was voluntarily returned by Hernandez. That is why we are looking for any legal remedy that can help us sell the property, preserve the amount, and perhaps consign it in court once there's a court proceeding,” Clavano said.

Hernandez is one of the seven accused of malversation and graft charges in connection with the alleged P92.8 million ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan.  –NB, GMA News