JANUARY 19, 2026 — Ombudsman Boying Remulla isn’t mincing words. He’s calling out what he sees as a desperate ploy to save Senator Joel Villanueva from the flood control kickback scandal. His charge? That Villanueva’s lawyer, Ramon Esguerra, is pushing witnesses to flip their testimonies. The Ombudsman’s warning was blunt: “Ginagamit sila.” 

(They are being used.)

Remulla dropped the bombshell on DZRH’s “Executive Session,” naming dismissed DPWH engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza as the ones being nudged to recant. He cautioned them to think twice before backing away from their sworn statements. 

“Ngayon bibigyan ko sila ng panahong maghunos-dili … kasi itong abogadong si Mon Esguerra, ginagamit sila kasi gusto silang gawing springboard para palusutin si Joel Villanueva,” he said. 

(I’ll give them time to reconsider … because this lawyer, Mon Esguerra, is using them as a springboard to let Joel Villanueva slip through.)

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Conviction in the flood control scheme carries life imprisonment. Remulla made it clear, though, that the case can move forward even without their cooperation. 

“Ang sentensya diyan life imprisonment eh … Kaya mag-isip-isip sila,” he warned. 

(The sentence there is life imprisonment … so they should think carefully.)

This scandal isn’t short on twists. Hernandez was the first to implicate Villanueva, later backed by ex-DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara. Then came Esguerra’s claim that Alcantara had recanted — only for Alcantara’s camp to deny it flatly, insisting he stands by his original testimony. 

So who’s telling the truth? Who’s spinning the narrative? And who’s pulling the strings?

Remulla insists Hernandez and Mendoza can’t be state witnesses because investigators see them as “the most guilty.” 

“Hindi sila basta-basta pwedeng gawing state witness … Sila nag-imbento ng ghost [projects] eh,” he said. 

(They can’t just be made state witnesses … They invented the ghost projects.)

Adding more heat, Remulla dared Esguerra to face him directly with the witnesses present. 

“Kung gusto niya, eh di doon kami mag-usap sa harap ng mga taong ito kung gusto niyang sirain kaso ko,” he declared. 

(If he wants, then let’s talk in front of these people if he wants to destroy my case.)

For ordinary Filipinos, this isn’t just some courtroom showdown — it’s about whether justice can actually stand up against the games of the powerful. Every time a witness changes their story, every denial, every accusation, it chips away at the little trust people still have in the system. 

And when that trust breaks? It’s not the politicians or the lawyers who suffer — it’s us, the public, left wondering if the truth even matters anymore.

So tell me, what do you think about this revelation from the Ombudsman himself? Are these witness recantations really about finding justice, or just another gimmick to keep the untouchable … untouchable?

(Image: Senate of the Philippines | Facebook)