Philippine Ombudsman Files Plunder Case Over Flood-Control Project Kickbacks

The Office of the Ombudsman filed a plunder case worth an alleged 7.44 billion pesos against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and three others on 7 September 2026, over accusations of kickbacks linked to flood-control and other government infrastructure projects, according to Philstar. Also named were former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, private individual Joselyn Tragua Serenio and Samchan Foreign Exchange Corp. president Felicito Cristobal Guevarra.

What the Ombudsman alleges

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano filed the case under the Anti-Plunder Law (Republic Act 7080) with the Sandiganbayan, the Philippines’ anti-graft court. Prosecutors allege Romualdez and Co repeatedly received commissions, shares, kickbacks and other financial benefits totalling at least 7.44 billion pesos on at least 15 occasions, with funds allegedly traced to contractors and other parties with interests in projects funded under national budgets between 2022 and 2025, according to Philstar and the Manila Bulletin’s Tempo. The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division found probable cause and issued arrest warrants for all four respondents. None of the accused has been convicted, and the allegations remain to be proven in court.

Part of a wider investigation

The case forms part of a broader inquiry into corruption in the Philippines’ flood-control programme, which has drawn scrutiny after successive years of severe flooding in Metro Manila and other urban areas exposed questions about the quality and even the existence of some funded projects. Several other officials and lawmakers have been implicated in the wider investigation.

Why It Matters

Plunder charges against a former head of the House of Representatives mark one of the most senior tests yet of the Philippines’ anti-corruption machinery, in a scandal that has already dented investor confidence and forced a downward revision of national growth forecasts. How the Sandiganbayan handles the case will shape public confidence in whether high office offers protection from accountability.