Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said more charges will be filed against individuals involved in the flood control scandal, gauging at least 14 to 15 more cases before the year ends.
Remulla himself disclosed this in an ambush interview in the Senate after the chamber’s deliberations on his office’s funding for 2026.
‘There will be more charges filed. Maraming kaming ipa-file na kaso. Marami na under preliminary investigation. There are at least about 15 cases right now, 14 or 15 cases,’ said Remulla.
When he was asked to comment on the Independent Commission for Infrastructure as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways recommendation to file plunder and other charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, the Ombudsman simply said that he has yet to look at the contents of the recommendation.
‘We will have to evaluate it. We have to look at the contents of the recommendation and the documents so we will know how to act on the matter. Kasi everything is evidence-based. We cannot file cases without evidence as part of our filing,’ he said.
‘Hindi ko pa nakikita yung filing kasi dumiretso na ako dito. So what they turned over this morning, I haven’t seen yet. So I can only act on it by Monday. Kasi I have another function to go to after this,’ he added.
Romualdez was implicated in the flood control scandal after Orly Guteza, former security consultant of Co, alleged that the former House Speaker received kickbacks from government projects.
Co, meanwhile, was tagged on alleged anomalous infrastructure projects, particularly flood control works in Bulacan, after former district and assistant engineers testified that he was involved in budget insertions that ballooned to at least P35 billion from 2022 to 2025.
They further claimed that kickbacks were delivered to Co, including one alleged delivery of P1 billion in cash packed into more than 20 suitcases and transported in several vans to his penthouse unit at a luxury hotel in Taguig.