OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has directed investigators to revisit the alleged irregularities surrounding the construction of sports facilities for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, five years after an earlier complaint was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
The move comes shortly after National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag announced his own agency would look into the same issues, sparking fresh interest in the procurement and implementation of the high‑profile projects.
Remulla confirmed that he instructed his staff to retrieve the complete records from the 2021 proceedings involving Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, who then headed the Bases Conversion and Development Authority overseeing the development of New Clark City. “Just this morning, I asked my staff to get the whole file for 2021 to see and to look at the possible violations of law,” he said, adding plainly: “We’re opening it up again.”
The development follows remarks from Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who chaired the 2019 SEA Games Organizing Committee, that Matibag’s announcement was an attempt to intimidate him ahead of the NBI chief’s scheduled appearance before the Senate impeachment court next week. Remulla, however, kept questions on potential involvement of other figures guarded, stating: “There’s a time for everything,” and emphasizing that the office will first assess the basis of the prior dismissal.
He clarified that reopening the matter does not violate legal protections against double jeopardy, noting that no formal charges had been filed in the earlier review. “We’re going to study what the office did in 2021. There’s no double jeopardy because no case was filed,” Remulla explained, signaling that authorities will now examine whether new information or a deeper look at existing records warrants further action.
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