Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said he ordered the reopening of files on alleged irregularities surrounding the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to determine whether there were possible violations of the law.

During a press briefing, Remulla said he had instructed his staff to retrieve the complete case file from 2021 for further examination.

“Just this morning, I asked my staff to get the whole file from 2021 to see and to look at possible violations of law,” Remulla said.

“We are opening it up again. Bubuksan namin ‘yan,” he added.

The Ombudsman chief said the office would first review the actions taken by the previous administration of the agency regarding the case. He noted that reopening the review would not violate the constitutional protection against double jeopardy.

“Pag-aaralan muna natin ‘yung ginawa ng office dati noong 2019 kasi walang double jeopardy ‘yan,” Remulla said.

Asked whether the Ombudsman would summon Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who served as chairman of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) during the 2019 SEA Games, Remulla said: “There is a time for everything."

The issue resurfaced after National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag announced that the bureau would look into alleged anomalies related to the hosting of the 2019 SEA Games. Among the concerns raised were around P10 billion in unliquidated funds, an alleged lack of competitive bidding for some projects, and the construction of the controversial P50-million SEA Games cauldron.

Earlier, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV confirmed that a complaint filed against Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon over alleged irregularities linked to the 2019 SEA Games had been dismissed in 2021 due to insufficient evidence.