Ombudsman orders Chiz to answer flood scandal allegations

MANILA, Philippines —  The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered Sen. Francis Escudero to answer the allegations on his supposed involvement in the flood control scandal.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the probe against Escudero has reached the preliminary investigation stage and the anti-graft body has ordered Escudero to submit his counter-affidavit on the allegations.

“I believe our panel is waiting for his counter-affidavit so the preliminary investigation can move forward,” he said in an interview yesterday with dzBB.

The Office of the Ombudsman has been investigating Escudero for alleged plunder, graft and bribery in relation to his role in the issues in the national budget tied to the flood control controversy.

The senator was tagged in the flood control scandal after former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo said that businessman Maynard Ngu asked for a list of projects to be included as insertions in the General Appropriations Act and they had agreed to a 20-percent cut.

Bernardo alleged P1.4 billion worth of projects in Valenzuela, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro and Quezon City were prepared for Escudero.

He claimed he delivered P160 million, or 20 percent of around P800 million, to Ngu’s building in Manila, followed by a second delivery of P120 million at the same location in 2025.

Clavano also said the allegations against former House speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez linked to the flood control mess, particularly the case of money laundering, is also under preliminary investigation.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the cases involving Romualdez and Escudero would mainly revolve in the crafting of the national budget, particularly on how it was passed by the two houses of Congress and how things have been implemented because of that.

He said his office is looking at the national budget for 2024 and 2025 but this could go back from the time of former House speaker Lord Allan Velasco, who served from 2020 to 2022 during the Duterte administration.

The case buildup, he said, looked into the testimonies of the witnesses from the Senate Blue Ribbon committee’s hearings on the flood control controversy last year.

Romualdez and Escudero have since denied involvement in anomalous flood control projects.

Project suspension

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday ordered the immediate suspension of all lifting operations of Legacy Construction Corp. following a fatal crane boom failure during construction activities at the Udalo Bridge project in Barangay Udalo, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro.

In a statement, the DPWH said the incident occurred during lifting operations when the crane boom reportedly failed, resulting in the death of one of the contractor’s workers.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon directed the agency’s Mimaropa office to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident to determine whether the accident was caused by material fatigue, overloading or inadequate equipment maintenance. The investigation will also examine whether comprehensive safety protocols were being implemented at the project site.

The DPWH likewise issued a cease and desist order covering all lifting operations of Legacy Construction Corp. pending the outcome of the investigation. – Rainier Allan Ronda