Philippine Lawmaker Romualdez Pleads Not Guilty in Flood-Control Plunder Case

A Philippine lawmaker and former speaker of the House of Representatives pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to plunder charges alleging he pocketed millions of dollars in kickbacks from flood control projects, his lawyer said.

Rep. Martin Romualdez, a cousin and former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., entered the plea during an arraignment at the anti-graft Sandiganbayan court. He is charged alongside three other defendants. Plunder is a nonbailable offense.

"Congressman Romualdez's arraignment took place this morning and he entered a plea of not guilty," his lawyer, Ade Fajardo, said. "He is maintaining his innocence."

Romualdez was arrested last week at a hospital and has since been moved to a jail in Quezon City in metropolitan Manila. The court granted his request to be arraigned by video conference from the detention facility.

Fajardo said the defense would proceed to pre-trial proceedings, where it intends to present and mark evidence ahead of trial.

The case stems from a broader investigation into flood control spending. Nearly 10,000 projects worth more than $9 billion that were supposed to have been undertaken since Marcos took office in mid-2022 have come under scrutiny. Many were found to be substandard, overpriced or not built at all. Flooding and landslides from the seasonal monsoon and typhoons cause considerable damage and casualties in the Southeast Asian country.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, whose office filed the charges, has said more cases will be filed against Romualdez and others, including for plunder and money laundering. He told a news conference last week that the case against Romualdez and his three co-defendants involves 7.4 billion pesos ($118 million) used in various transactions. He said so much money was stolen that those involved tried to hide it by buying several houses and even donating $1 million to Harvard University.

Another top official indicted by the anti-graft court is former Rep. Zaldy Co, who used to head the House appropriations committee and is now considered a fugitive after fleeing to Europe. An incumbent senator, a former senator and several ex-government engineers and public works officials as well as wealthy construction executives have been detained while facing trial on corruption charges.

Marcos has described the alleged scale of corruption as "horrible" and established an independent commission, which has since been disbanded, to investigate. The Senate Blue Ribbon committee also earlier conducted a number of hearings on the flood control controversy.