The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and plunder cases against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and others before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the flood control corruption scandal, marking another major escalation in the widening probe into alleged budget abuse, alleged ghost projects, and kickback networks tied to public works funds.
The filing came weeks after the Ombudsman received a resolution recommending cases against Estrada and Bonoan over their alleged involvement in the flood control scandal. While the recommendation included other possible offenses, the Ombudsman pursued graft and plunder before the anti-graft court. Plunder is non-bailable, and Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said they recommended no bail for the respondents and will also ask for a hold departure order.
“We have one shot to get these cases right. The Filipino people need to see justice. This office is here to make sure we deliver just that,” Clavano said.
The Estrada and Bonoan cases now move alongside the larger case being built against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been identified in the Ombudsman’s investigation as the alleged central figure in the budget conspiracy.
The case has also exposed resistance inside the House. Remulla said investigators have been trying to obtain records from the House Small Committee and the Committee on Appropriations, but the documents have not been turned over. He said some lawmakers are making the investigation harder as the Ombudsman works to trace alleged budget insertions and determine how the final national budget was changed.
“They’re trying to stop us from getting the information,” Remulla said, adding that many of those allegedly blocking the probe are “nasa House ngayon.”
The Ombudsman panel has tagged Romualdez as the alleged “mastermind” of the multibillion-peso flood control scheme, with former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co allegedly involved in the budget-side mechanics of the operation. Investigators are examining an alleged scheme in which flood control funds were inserted into the budget, routed through public works projects, and converted into kickbacks.
Investigators also alleged that Co did not act alone and that Romualdez was the principal figure behind the wider operation. The Ombudsman’s case theory points to the budget itself as the center of the alleged fraud, with investigators looking into how public money for flood control projects was allegedly manipulated through budget insertions, project allocations, and implementation channels.
Remulla also said his office is preparing a separate money laundering case connected to the investigation, on top of the larger alleged conspiracy to defraud the treasury through the national budget.
Remulla described the Romualdez case as the biggest and most difficult case under preparation, saying, “The grandest case of them all, itong pinakamabigat na kaso diyan, the conspiracy to defraud the treasury.”
The Ombudsman has also moved to restrict Romualdez from leaving the country while the plunder complaint proceeds, underscoring how seriously investigators are treating the case. Romualdez has denied the accusations and said he will not allow himself to be made a scapegoat, but Remulla’s office is pressing forward. Estrada’s case is now in court, while Romualdez remains the central target in a corruption probe that is pushing the country toward a major accountability reckoning.
Corruption is and has always been the Philippines’ biggest problem. Martin Romualdez is universally recognized as the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
On May 5, Romualdez framed Franco Mabanta and four PGMN associates with the objective of silencing the truth from being brought to light.
