Ombudsman probes party-list rep over graft

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. is under preliminary investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman for an alleged conflict of interest, part of what Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla called a broader crackdown on lawmakers with contractor ties.

Remulla said on Friday, July 17, that the Ombudsman is actively evaluating cases involving legislators who are allegedly engaged in government contracting while holding public office.

“We have been in the process of evaluating our investigations on legislators with conflict of interest, meaning to say, legislators who are also contractors, and we’ve been filing cases left and right,” he said.

He identified Ang and Tarlac 2nd District Rep. Maria Cristina “Cristy” Angeles as the subjects of ongoing preliminary investigations.

The probe forms part of the Ombudsman’s wider inquiry into alleged anomalies in government flood-control projects — the same crackdown that has moved former House Speaker Martin Romualdez close to facing plunder charges and drawn several other lawmakers into preliminary investigation.

Remulla said the investigation is anchored on Section 3(h) of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which penalizes public officials who directly or indirectly have a financial or pecuniary interest in a business, contract, or transaction in which they intervene or are prohibited by law from having such interest.

“Section 3H of RA 3019 is very clear on conflict of interest. For the longest time, people took it for granted that they do it because they can, but that should not be the case anymore,” he said, adding that some legislators have come to view control over public projects as an entitlement.

He contrasted the present system with previous congressional practices, saying lawmakers before were limited to fixed allocations for district projects, scholarships, and medical assistance.

“Now it has become an entitlement. There are rules governing the spending of public funds, and those guidelines have to be followed,” he said.

Remulla also stressed that infrastructure projects endorsed by lawmakers should undergo technical review and planning, including evaluation by Regional Development Councils, before implementation.

He said legislators should not simply identify projects and expect government funds to be released without undergoing the required planning and approval processes.

“That’s really the job of a congressman. You cannot just say, ‘I’ll give you the project title, now give me the money.’ That’s how things have been done, and that can no longer continue. There is no entitlement,” Remulla said.

He also lamented what he described as a growing trend of contractors seeking public office and continuing to influence infrastructure spending.

“What complicates this is that contractors became congressmen and decided to control the show in the House. That’s the most painful part. It’s as if conflict of interest did not exist, as if RA 3019 didn’t exist,” he said.

Remulla added that meaningful reforms in government spending would be difficult unless conflict-of-interest issues are decisively addressed.

“I have to do this so it will stop. When will they stop? When all public funds have been exhausted? […] It’s already preposterous how public money is being spent,” he said.

Ang has been linked to IBC International Builders Corp. and Allencon Development Corp., two of Western Visayas’ largest construction firms owned by his uncle, businessman Alfonso “Don Ponso” Tan.

A Rappler investigation reported that Ang was publicly known as IBC’s primary liaison.

Securities and Exchange Commission records also showed that Ang remained one of eight stockholders of Allencon from May 30, 2022, to March 29, 2023, a period that overlapped with the start of his term as Uswag Ilonggo party-list representative in the 19th Congress.

Ang was elected in the May 9, 2022, elections and formally assumed office on June 30, 2022.

Remulla said the Ombudsman is taking a deliberate approach to building cases to ensure they are supported by sufficient evidence.

“We have to take it one by one because it’s not very easy to build up cases. For example, the Pharmally cases, it was six months before we were able to really build a good case,” he said.

“It’s not easy. This job is very meticulous, and we have to just be deliberate about everything we write, say, or do,” he added.