Ombudsman Boying Remulla, in his first annual report on Monday, Oct. 12, announced that his office has filed 39 cases tied to irregularities in flood‑control and infrastructure projects, with 52 individuals facing charges—some already detained, others still being pursued by authorities.
The report comes as investigations uncover government projects overpriced, substandard, or nonexistent despite receiving public funds, a scandal that has worsened flooding during recent rains.
Among those charged in separate flood‑control cases are former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Sen. Bong Revilla, former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, Uswag Ilonggo Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr., and former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan. Thirty‑three former DPWH officials and eight contractors are also implicated.
“Sa mga akusado na umaasa pa rin na maililigtas sila ng kanilang pera, koneksyon, o ng kanilang paid online army—nagkakamali kayo. Hindi kayo maililigtas niyan,” he said.
“Nasa korte na ang mga kaso, at tapos na kami sa pinakamahirap na bahagi: ang pagbuo ng matibay na ebidensya laban sa inyo.”
Romualdez and Co were charged with plunder before the Sandiganbayan on Sept. 7 over a ₱7.44‑billion kickback scheme tied to projects funded from 2022 to 2025. Remulla said flood‑control corruption dwarfs previous national scandals like pork barrel and the fertilizer fund scam.
Estrada faces plunder and graft charges involving ₱573 million in alleged kickbacks. Bonoan, initially named alongside Estrada, was dropped as an accused in one Sandiganbayan case after prosecutors sought to use him as a state witness, though the court’s Second Division kept him as an accused in another graft case.
Investigators also uncovered ghost projects. Co and several DPWH officials were charged in August over a ₱77‑million riverbank protection project in Balagtas, Bulacan, which records claimed was completed but did not exist. Revilla separately faces charges over a ₱92.8‑million flood‑control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
Remulla was appointed Ombudsman on Oct. 7, 2025, to serve a fixed seven‑year term until 2032.
Before his appointment, Remulla served as the country’s 59th Justice Secretary, represented Cavite’s 7th District in the House, and also held posts as governor and lawyer. He earned his political science and law degrees at the University of the Philippines Diliman, graduating from law school in 1987.
