Flood Control Corruption Cases: 45 Charged in a Year, Two Top Firms Face Charges

A year after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. exposed a multibillion-peso flood control corruption controversy, a total of 45 individuals have been charged in court, GMA News Research documents show. However, only two of the country's top 15 contracting firms are facing charges. Cases have been filed in six batches against 45 individuals, with one key Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official on the verge of becoming a state witness. The cases were filed at the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. The first case was filed on November 18, 2025, against former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Zaldy Co, DPWH Mimaropa Regional Director Gerald Pacanan, officers of Sunwest Corp., and several other DPWH Mimaropa officials. This is in connection with a P289-million alleged ghost flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. Co remains at large. Co is one of only four lawmakers facing cases at the Sandiganbayan. Others charged include former senator Bong Revilla, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and recently, USWAG Ilonggo Partylist Representative James "Jojo" Ang, Jr. The two contractors from the Top 15 list revealed by Marcos himself that have cornered a chunk of the budget for flood control projects are St. Timothy Construction and Sunwest Corporation. Owners of St. Timothy are facing charges before the Cebu and Malolos Regional Trial Courts, while Sunwest officials are Co's co-accused at the Sandiganbayan. Several individuals have turned state witnesses, including contractor Sally Santos, and high-ranking DPWH officials such as former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, former Bulacan First District Engineering Office District Engr. Henry Alcantara, and former DPWH Regional Director Gerard Opulencia. The highest-ranking DPWH official to be charged is former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan, a co-accused of Estrada at the Sandiganbayan. Prosecutors, however, are asking the tribunal to discharge him and allow him to be accepted as a state witness. Thirty-two other DPWH officials and employees are also charged. In his State of the Nation Address on Monday, Marcos disclosed that his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, may join the list of those facing charges for the flood control mess. "I am not the President of my family. I'm not the President of my friends. I am the President of the Philippines," he said, emphasizing his commitment to follow the evidence. The Office of the Ombudsman thanked the President for his statement, which they believe is a go-signal to "freely carry out its constitutional mandate... and to follow the evidence wherever it leads, including those closest to the President himself," Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said. The Ombudsman has ordered Romualdez, Co, and eight other individuals to submit counter-affidavits within 15 days. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla admitted that only a small percentage of those implicated have been charged, citing difficulties in obtaining records and the complexity of the scheme. However, he expressed confidence that with the hiring of new personnel, the Ombudsman's office will become stronger and achieve a deterrent effect. A public governance expert noted that the slow pace of investigations and charges is expected given the number of agencies involved and the scheme's complexity. However, progress is being made, and meticulous case-building is crucial for successful prosecution. — VDV, GMA News