A LAWMAKER from Luzon and a contractor from the Visayas attempted to bribe Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla and his brother, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, in an effort to spare them from implication in anomalous flood control projects.
In a press conference Thursday, January 15, 2026, Remulla said there were two instances when he and his brother were offered P1 billion each.
He said the first happened two weeks ago when a lawmaker from the lower chamber, who also owns a construction firm, offered them P1 billion.
Remulla said about three days ago, a contractor from the Visayas also attempted to bribe him.
He said they turned down the offers and immediately reported both incidents to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Ang tingin ko siguro akala mabibili nila ‘yung kaso nila sa aming magkapatid sa flood control, so ang tingin nila ang susi ay nasa aming dalawa. Ang susi ay nasa mga abogado nila na depensahan sila sa husgado. Kung kami lang ang susuhulan, wala kayong mapupuntahan,” Remulla said.
“Tatanungin ninyo kung bakit hindi namin inaresto ‘yung nagsusuhol. Ito po’y deniable kasi hindi ito recorded. Binanggit lang, walang ipinakitang pera. Parang kuwento lang ang ginagawa sa akin. But safe to say, refused po both times. Hindi po kami pumapayag. Hindi ho kami magpapabili,” he added.
(You might ask why we did not arrest the person who attempted to bribe us. It is deniable because it was not recorded. It was merely mentioned—no money was shown. It was like someone just telling me a story. But safe to say, we refused both times. We did not agree. We will not allow ourselves to be bought.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)