The Office of the Ombudsman announced Friday that it has received the complete set of documents and evidence gathered by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) in connection with the flood control scandal.
During a press conference on Friday, Ombudsman Crispin “Boying” Remulla said the ICI has formally ended its operations, which are set to conclude on March 31, 2026, and turned over what he described as “voluminous” materials, including 200 megaboxes of data and a hard drive containing summaries of the commission’s investigations.
“The ICI is terminating its work and submitted all their documents to us,” Remulla said during a press conference.
“We will be scrutinizing these documents in the coming days. With the aid of artificial intelligence, it's easier to look at this data and to have it organized. And we will be using AI for this purpose,” the Ombudsman said, noting their plan to use AI during their investigation process.
Remulla also stressed that while the volume of materials is significant, all documents remain intact.
“We're not going to be claiming magic here. It's just AI. And I think it's already standard for standard practice for many people to use AI. And we will just use this as a guide. It will not be the one to define our work,” the Ombudsman said, emphasizing their use of AI as a guide.
He added that the ICI’s report has already been submitted to the President, and he suggested distributing copies to law libraries nationwide so they may serve as a reference for future investigations and academic study.
The Ombudsman also praised the investigative techniques and technology used by the ICI, noting that resources such as NAMRIA remote sensing technology, previously available only to certain agencies, can now assist in ongoing investigations.
Remulla emphasized the office’s approach to building cases: ensuring continuity and thoroughness to avoid delays similar to previous high-profile cases, such as the PDAF scandal.
“The thrust of this office is actually to build up the cases well enough so that we follow a higher standard of reasonable certainty of conviction and when the time comes to file the case, we'll be ready to present our case continuously,” he said.
The Ombudsman’s office is now set to examine the ICI’s extensive findings, with plans to use them as a foundation for pursuing legal action where warranted.
