Ombudsman report: 39 flood mess cases filed

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has already filed 39 cases in connection with the flood control scandal, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said during his first annual report on Monday.

Of the 39 flood control cases, Remulla said 35 were filed before the Sandiganbayan and four in regional trial courts.

Remulla added that 52 individuals, including high-ranking officials such as former Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, were facing charges due to the flood control mess.

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Romualdez and Estrada are currently detained at the New Quezon City Jail for separate plunder cases recently filed against them. Plunder is a nonbailable offense.

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Romualdez and Co were charged with “repeatedly receiving, directly or indirectly, on at least 15 occasions, commissions, shares, percentages, kickbacks, ‘commitments’ and/or other pecuniary benefits” worth at least P7.44 billion, according to the information sheet against them.

Aside from the two officials, the 52 accused in the flood control cases also include former Sen. Bong Revilla, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and two other lawmakers, namely Tarlac Rep. Noel “Bong” Rivera and Uswag Ilonggo Rep. James “Jojo” Ang.

Remulla said 33 employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), eight contractors, and other private individuals have also been linked to the corruption scandal.

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“Some are already in custody and some are still being sought,” he said. “Many more are under preliminary investigation and lifestyle checks.”

The July 2025 State of the Nation Address of President Marcos triggered the crackdown on flood control anomalies, leading to the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which was tasked to investigate and recommend appropriate charges against individuals involved in the corruption scandal. The ICI functioned until March 2026.

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‘Doctrine stands in the way’

According to Remulla, the flood control cases filed are already in the hands of the courts, which he expected to be “impartial, independent, and attuned to the times.”

But he also urged the Supreme Court (SC) to revisit its ruling on plunder cases, because “right now, a doctrine stands in the way.”

Remulla specifically cited Macapagal-Arroyo v. People (G.R. No. 220598), the SC’s decision penned by then Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin in 2016, which set two requirements that Remulla said Congress never wrote in the plunder law.

“First, the prosecution must name a main plunderer. Second, it must prove that the accused personally received or benefited from the stolen money,” he said.

“Think about what that means. The smarter the thief, the safer he is. Pass the money through enough dummies, middlemen, and shell companies, and no one can be shown to have touched it,” he added.

Accountability

Remulla said the law against plunder was created “to hold accountable those who steal billions [of pesos].”

“But under this doctrine, the biggest syndicates are the hardest to catch,” he lamented. “That’s not justice. That’s protection.”

In the flood control scheme, Remulla pointed out, there were “many hands, layers of contractors, and money moving through accounts that do not carry the names of those who profited.”

“So I say this with all due respect to the Supreme Court: It is time to revisit this doctrine,” he said.

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“We hope they will see the power they hold, the power to interpret the law so that it works against those who plunder, not as a shield for them,” Remulla added. —With a report from Inquirer Research