The Philippines’ anti-corruption watchdog said it filed a plunder case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The case involves 7.4 billion pesos ($118 million) and stems from Romualdez’s alleged role in the massive graft scheme to steal funds for flood infrastructure projects, according to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“This isn’t the last case,” Remulla said in a press briefing on Monday. “We are going to file cases against many others.”
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Zaldy Co, former chairman of the House appropriations committee, and other individuals were also sued for plunder.
Investigators earlier alleged that Romualdez, Co and other personalities conspired to unlawfully accumulate 56 billion pesos in ill-gotten wealth from public funds.
Romualdez and Co have previously denied wrongdoing. Their representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The court filing comes as Marcos faces mounting pressure from the public seeking accountability for the stolen funds intended for flood mitigation projects. Monsoon rains and typhoons in recent weeks have severely flooded numerous areas, killing 43 and prompting 58,000 to take shelter in evacuation centers, according to government data.
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Business and consumer confidence have taken a hit while government spending slowed after Marcos exposed the graft issue last year, sinking the Southeast Asian nation’s economic growth to the slowest since 2009, excluding the pandemic. Public officials, including a senator, have been arrested on corruption charges.
“Those who ought to be held accountable must be held accountable—whoever they may be: a relative, a friend, an ally, or a political opponent,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Monday.
Marcos, during his national address in July, said the government has conducted extensive investigation, and he’s leaving the prosecution to the Ombudsman.
“I am not the president of my family. I am not the president of my friends,” he said. “I am the president of the Philippines, and my duty is to you — my fellow Filipinos”
