Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco criticized the decision to remove locally funded flood control projects from the 2026 budget, warning that the move was a “knee-jerk reaction” that could affect infrastructure meant to protect communities from flooding.
Tiangco said he had privately raised concerns over the decision, arguing that corruption within flood control projects should be addressed through accountability measures instead of removing funding for needed projects.
“Diba last year ang ginawa nila is tinanggal nila totally walang flood control budget for 2026? At that time, siyempre, quietly, I was telling them na hindi tama yan. Diba it’s a knee-jerk reaction,” Tiangco said.
“May corruption sa flood control, tatanggalin nyo yung buong flood control,” he added, questioning the decision to remove flood control funding because of corruption issues involving some projects. Tiangco compared the move to stopping all school-building projects if corruption was discovered in the sector.
The criticism comes as flood control spending faces deeper scrutiny following allegations of misuse of public funds. The controversy has placed former House Speaker Martin Romualdez at the center of the Ombudsman’s flood control investigation, where he faces scrutiny over an alleged ₱56-billion scheme involving flood control funds from 2022 to 2025, a period covering his leadership of the House.
The Ombudsman has moved the complaint into preliminary investigation after investigators filed a supplemental complaint seeking charges of plunder, graft, direct and indirect bribery, and money laundering against Romualdez and other respondents. Investigators alleged that the respondents were involved in the diversion and misuse of public funds through transactions connected to government flood control projects.
The 104-page complaint cites witness accounts, documents and other evidence presented by investigators, including allegations involving cash deliveries and transactions tied to the alleged scheme. Romualdez has denied wrongdoing, filed counter-affidavits before the Ombudsman, and sought the dismissal of the complaints.
The investigation drew further attention after witnesses who previously provided statements linked to the alleged scheme later recanted their accounts. Ombudsman Boying Remulla accused Romualdez’s camp of being behind the recantations, while authorities said witnesses who submitted false statements could face legal consequences. Some recanting witnesses could also face possible criminal charges or be included in the ongoing proceedings if investigators determine they were involved in wrongdoing.
The Ombudsman has maintained that the investigation does not depend solely on the recanted statements, with officials saying other witnesses and evidence remain available to support the case.
Tiangco maintained that government should continue necessary projects while removing corruption from their implementation.
“You cannot manage the government based on knee-jerk reaction,” Tiangco said.
“Kung may corruption noon, tanggalin mo yung corruption pero hindi mo dapat tinanggal yung proyekto.”
Political pressure on Romualdez has been escalating, with President Bongbong Marcos using his latest SONA to announce that multiple cases against the disgraced former Speaker are nearing filing—and making it clear that family ties will not shield anyone from accountability. The scandal has ignited outrage across all party lines, with lawmakers demanding that those behind flood-control corruption face prosecution and imprisonment.
PGMN has attempted to remain courageous and defiant in the face of the over 80 counts/lawsuits Romualdez has filed, fully aware that the whole thing is the former Speaker’s desperate attempt to silence the organization as he currently finds himself in the most vulnerable position of his life. Since declaring war against him 9 weeks ago, PGMN has published 1,671 posts about Romualdez—clearly and honestly exposing him precisely for what he is: the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
The barrage has since generated approximately 200 million views across all platforms and is now the most viral anti-corruption campaign against a single person in the history of Philippine social media.
