“PLUNDER IS OVERRATED”? TRY AGAIN — IT’S A CALCULATED KILL SHOT

Why Ombudsman Remulla’s “No-Plunder” Gambit Is the Smartest Anti-Corruption Move Since the Wheel

By Louis “Barok” C. Biraogo — November 4, 2025

THE MOB’S HOLY WAR: “PLUNDER!” SCREAMED LOUDER THAN LOGIC

The mob is drunk on drama. PLUNDER! PLUNDER! PLUNDER! — chanted like a war cry at a frat hazing. Meanwhile, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla drops a line that should be tattooed on every prosecutor’s forearm: “Plunder is overrated.”

Cue the meltdown.

“Whitewash!” scream the keyboard crusaders. “Downgrade!” wail the TikTok tribunes. “He’s shielding the big fish!” howls the echo chamber of eternal outrage.

Wake up, clowns. Remulla isn’t soft on corruption — he’s surgically ruthless about convictions. His “plunder is overrated” quip isn’t surrender. It’s a declaration of war fought with precision weapons, not fireworks.

THE LEGAL REALIST’S KNOCKOUT: WHY THIS IS A PROSECUTORIAL CHECKMATE

Critics screech: “They’re downgrading the charges!”
Reality: They’re upgrading the probability of actual prison time.

Let’s dismantle the hysteria with cold, hard law:

Charge	Legal Basis	Evidentiary Burden	Penalty
Plunder	Republic Act No. 7080 (Anti-Plunder Act)	Prove series/combination of overt acts + ≥₱50M ill-gotten wealth	Reclusion perpetua
Malversation	Article 217, Revised Penal Code (RPC)	Funds missing + public officer accountable → presumption of guilt	Up to life if >₱8.8M
Bribery	Article 210, RPC	Gift + official act = done	6–15 years
Falsification	Article 171, RPC	Fake docs to steal public funds	6–20 years

Prosecutorial Discretion? Absolute.
Section 15, Republic Act No. 6770 (Ombudsman Act) gives Remulla sole authority to file charges “warranted by the evidence.” Not by rally decibels.

Supreme Court Precedent? Crystal clear.

Estrada v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 148560 (2001): Plunder isn’t a dragnet. Must prove specific acts + traceable wealth.
Enrile acquittals: Overreaching prosecutors lost because they couldn’t connect the dots.

Remulla looked at this graveyard of failed plunder cases and said: “Not today.”

THE CRITICS’ CIRCUS: A PARADE OF PERFORMATIVE PIETY

Critic’s Tantrum	Barok’s Haymaker
“Downgrading the charges!”	No — upgrading the odds of handcuffs. A malversation win = jail + asset freeze + lifetime ban.
“This is a whitewash!”	Filing 6 cases by Nov. 25 is action. The real whitewash? A plunder case that collapses in 10 years, freeing everyone.
“The public wants PLUNDER!”	Justice isn’t a teleserye. Convictions > hashtags.

These aren’t legal analysts. They’re rage influencers. They want spectacle. Remulla wants scalps.

THE 4D CHESSBOARD: SHOCK, AWE, AND FLIP

This isn’t the finale. It’s Phase One of a takedown.

File slam-dunk charges now → Secure immediate convictions.
Freeze assets → No loot escapes.
Flip the minnows → DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) underlings become state witnesses.
Build plunder later → With forensic audits, flipped testimony, and frozen paper trails.

If evidence never hits ₱50M? Then plunder was never warranted. That’s not weakness. That’s integrity.

THE PLAYBOOK: HOW TO SILENCE THE NOISE

To the Office of the Ombudsman:

Drop a legal memo by Nov. 10 — bullet-pointed, public, brutal:

“No plunder in Batch 1: Gaps in pattern/amount.”
“Filing: Malversation, Bribery, Falsification.”
“Next: Forensic audit for Batch 2.”

Livestream the Nov. 25 filing → Let the nation watch the informations hit the Sandiganbayan docket.
Blacklist the 15 contractors → No more public funds. Ever.