DPWH, ICI push plunder raps vs Romualdez, Co
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday recommended the prosecution of former Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co for plunder, graft and direct bribery in connection with flood control projects worth billions of pesos.
The joint DPWH-ICI referral recommending the criminal charges to the Office of the Ombudsman included members of the board of Sunwest Inc. and Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corp., two public works contractors linked to Co that were involved in the flood control projects from 2016 to 2025.
It was the first time that the former Speaker and President Marcos’ cousin was held criminally liable since the flood control corruption scandal broke out in August following disclosures by the President himself that only 15 companies out of 2000 nationwide accounted for nearly 20 percent of the over P500 billion worth of flood control contracts across the country from 2022 to 2025. These companies included Sunwest and Hi-Tone.
Marcos announcement
Co is a cofounder of Sunwest while Hi-Tone was founded by his brother, Christopher Co. His brother preceded him as representative of Ako Bicol party list, serving in the House from 2010 to 2019. Co took over as Ako Bicol representative from 2019 until he resigned as congressman on Sept. 29 while he was abroad.
Co, who was also chair of the House appropriations committee, had said that he and his family were “no longer affiliated or shareholders” in Sunwest since 2019.
Before Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and ICI Chair Andres Reyes Jr. submitted their referral to the Office of the Ombudsman, Mr. Marcos announced their recommendations in a video statement on social media.
“As I mentioned in my previous report, I will continue to update the public about the cases and the information we are receiving regarding flood control projects that are of poor quality,” he said.
The President said that all the information gathered by the DPWH and the ICI about Romualdez and Co would be submitted to the Ombudsman for further investigation prior to the plunder, graft and bribery charges that might be filed against them.
‘Conscience remains clear’
“We are confident that the Ombudsman simply follows the evidence, and wherever the evidence leads, that is where our investigation will go,” he added.
In a statement read by his lawyer, Ade Fajardo, Romualdez denied any wrongdoing.
“I willingly submitted myself to the ICI fact-finding process, appeared voluntarily, and remained in the country,” he said. “Throughout all these proceedings, no sworn or credible evidence has ever linked me to any irregularity, and again, my conscience remains clear.”
Romualdez expressed confidence that the government’s chief antigraft prosecutor would conduct an impartial and thorough review of the evidence.
The President created the ICI as a fact-finding body to look into irregularities in the multibillion-peso flood control projects that ended up as either nonexistent, substandard or incomplete. These involved hundreds of millions of pesos in alleged kickbacks to lawmakers and other officials.
The DPWH and the ICI specifically recommended that Romualdez, Co and the private contractors be charged with plunder, direct bribery and violating Sections 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) which prohibits public officials from approving contracts clearly disadvantageous to the government, soliciting or accepting bribes, entering into agreements where they have a personal interest, or failing to perform their duties to secure unwarranted benefits.
All up to Ombudsman
Romualdez, who is being held responsible for appointing Co as chair of the appropriations committee, served as Speaker from July 2022 until he stepped down on Sept. 17. Neither the President nor Dizon specified his involvement in the projects contracted by Sunwest and Hi-Tone as early as 2016.
Romualdez served three terms as Leyte representative from 2007 to 2016. He returned to the House in 2019 and was reelected in 2022 and in 2025.
Dizon said they were leaving their recommendations to the Office of the Ombudsman “for further investigation and for eventual filing.”
According to Dizon, the documents they submitted included contracts entered into by Sunwest and Hi-Tone from 2016 to 2025. Sunwest accounted for about P67 billion worth of contracts while Hi-Tone secured P32 billion.
Dizon pointed out that the contracts in some of the supposedly anomalous flood control projects were signed when Romualdez was Speaker and Co was chair of the appropriations committee, which handles the annual budget.
“These are all based on facts,” Dizon said. “Now, with regards to questions on whether these facts are enough to file charges of plunder, graft and direct bribery, we leave it all up to the Office of the Ombudsman because that is our process.”
‘Cash deliveries’
The referral included the sworn testimony of retired Marine Sgt. Orly Guteza, who told the Senate blue ribbon committee at a hearing in September that he personally delivered suitcases containing millions in cash to the residences of Co and Romualdez.
Guteza’s sworn statement, however, is under a cloud of doubt after the Manila Regional Trial Court ruled earlier this month that it was falsified because the notarial signature on it was found to have been forged.
The supposed notary, lawyer Petchie Rose Espera, said she didn’t sign it and filed a complaint with the court. Guteza failed to appear during the hearings held by the court.
On Tuesday, Co was charged in the Sandiganbayan with malversation and two counts of graft for “serious irregularities” in a P289.4-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.
Several former DPWH officials and an executive of Sunwest were also charged. (See related story on this page)
Nonbailable
The Ombudsman’s panel of prosecutors recommended no bail for the malversation charge as the amounts exceeded the P8.8-million threshold allowed for bail in such a case.
Under Republic Act No. 7080, as amended by RA No. 7659, plunder is a nonbailable offense. It is defined as the act of any public officer who, alone or in collusion with others, amasses ill-gotten wealth amounting to at least P50 million through a “combination or series of overt or criminal acts.”
This includes misusing or stealing public funds, receiving kickbacks from government projects, illegally transferring or disposing of government assets, or abusing authority or connections to unjustly enrich themselves.
In remarks last month, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla did not sound enthusiastic about pursuing plunder cases, saying that “plunder is overrated” and noting the lack of convictions in recent years.
He said his office was focusing on offenses that are easier to prove, such as malversation, bribery and falsification.
But on Nov. 19, Remulla said that a plunder charge was still being considered against Co and 15 others earlier accused of graft and malversation in the flood control scandal.
Enough of the bombast
Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña and Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima welcomed the recommendation to file plunder and graft charges against the most powerful lawmakers during the 19th Congress as a crucial step toward accountability.
“The people deserve a full accounting of the scandalous corruption. We don’t need bombastic revelations, we need truthful and detailed evidence that would stand in court,” Cendaña said.
De Lima, on the other hand, challenged Remulla to fast-track the evaluation of evidence “while ensuring that strong cases supported by solid evidence are filed.”
She also urged the ICI to honor its commitment to livestream its proceedings.
“With so much still to be investigated, if their proceedings are still hidden from the public, where is the transparency? The trust of the people is at stake here, they cannot feel like they are being relied upon and manipulated,” De Lima said. —WITH REPORTS FROM LUISA CABATO, DEMPSEY REYES, KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
