Where the Flood-Control Graft Cases Stand at the Sandiganbayan

1The short version: where things stand on 6 November 2026

A little over a year after the first complaints over allegedly anomalous flood-control projects reached the Office of the Ombudsman, the resulting criminal cases are now well inside the Sandiganbayan's trial machinery. On 12 October 2026, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla marked his first year in office with an annual report that, according to the Daily Tribune's account of the report, counted 39 flood-control cases filed in court: 35 before the Sandiganbayan and four before regional trial courts, involving 52 accused. By charge, the report listed two plunder cases, four malversation cases and 33 cases for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019).

A month earlier, on 10 September 2026, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg told the Senate finance committee during the judiciary's 2027 budget hearing that the court was handling 26 flood-control cases involving "senators and congressmen," that the first batch had already reached the defense stage, and that decisions could come within the year, as reported by the Daily Tribune. The two figures are not necessarily inconsistent: the Ombudsman's tally came later and may count separate informations (charge sheets) rather than consolidated case groups, but the precise basis of each count was not published in the reports we reviewed.

• 39
  Flood-control cases in court per the Ombudsman's 12 Oct 2026 report (35 Sandiganbayan, 4 RTC)
• 52
  Individuals charged, per the same report
• P24.7 billion
  Total assets frozen in the probe as of AMLC's 24 Apr 2026 announcement
• 12
  Civil forfeiture petitions filed with RTCs, per the same AMLC update

No judgment of conviction or acquittal in a flood-control case had been reported in the sources we reviewed as of the research date. Every person named below is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and several have publicly denied wrongdoing. This article does not add any allegation; it summarizes charges and rulings as reported and explains what they mean for public officials, contractors and the companies that deal with government.

2Timeline of the main filings and rulings

The following dates are drawn from the court and Ombudsman developments reported by GMA News, the Daily Tribune, BusinessWorld, Philstar and The Star. GMA's 24 July 2026 roundup of cases filed since the 2025 State of the Nation Address is a useful index of the earlier filings.

1. 2025-11-18
   First Sandiganbayan filing. The Ombudsman files graft and malversation cases against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, DPWH Region IV-B officials and directors of a contractor over a P289-million road dike in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
2. 2026-01
   Revilla case filed. Malversation through falsification and graft charges are filed against former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., a former DPWH Bulacan engineer and others over an alleged P92.8-million phantom project in Pandi, Bulacan.
3. 2026-03-04
   Attachment of property. The Fifth Division grants an ex parte writ of preliminary attachment over 16 of Co's properties to secure more than P215 million in alleged civil liability.
4. 2026-03-31
   Bail denial affirmed. The Sixth Division affirms the denial of bail for nine former DPWH officials in the Naujan malversation case.
5. 2026-04-23
   Court of Appeals freeze order. On AMLC's petition, the CA freezes bank, insurance and property accounts of a legislator, a business associate and a corporation.
6. 2026-05-28
   Estrada case filed. The Ombudsman files plunder and two graft cases against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and DPWH NCR engineers.
7. 2026-07-31
   Revilla granted bail. The Third Division, by a 2–1 vote, grants bail of P1 million.
8. 2026-09-07
   Romualdez case filed. The Ombudsman files a P7.4-billion plunder case against former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Co and two others; arrest warrants issue the same day.
9. 2026-09-16
   Arraignment. Romualdez pleads not guilty by videoconference.
10. 2026-10-12
    Bail hearing and annual report. Romualdez's bail hearing is scheduled to begin; the Ombudsman releases its first-year report.

3The charges, explained

Three offenses recur across the flood-control informations. They differ sharply in their elements and, importantly for the accused, in whether bail is a matter of right.

A plunder conviction carries reclusion perpetua (the death penalty originally added by RA 7659 is no longer imposed) and perpetual disqualification from public office. RA 7080 also allows preventive suspension of an incumbent official once a valid information is filed, which is why the Third Division gave Romualdez, a sitting congressman, ten days to explain why he should not be suspended, as The Star reported on 16 September 2026.

4Case-by-case status of the most-reported matters

Naujan, Oriental Mindoro (Co and DPWH Region IV-B officials)

This was the first flood-control case filed at the Sandiganbayan and is the most advanced. On 31 March 2026, the Sixth Division affirmed its denial of bail for nine former DPWH officials charged with malversation over the P289-million project, rejecting arguments that their roles were merely ministerial. According to BusinessWorld's report on the 27-page resolution, the court held that their signatures on disbursement vouchers and certifications were essential to the release of funds, and that approving officers must verify the legality and regularity of transactions before endorsing them. The court stressed it was not prejudging guilt. Co, who faces separate graft and malversation informations, remains outside the country under arrest warrants and has denied wrongdoing, according to the same report.

Pandi, Bulacan (Revilla)

On 31 July 2026, the Third Division granted Revilla bail of P1 million in the P92.8-million malversation case. As explained in GMA News's 1 August 2026 explainer, the majority found that the prosecution had not shown how Revilla facilitated the project's inclusion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act or linked him to an agreement to receive kickbacks, and noted that the alleged malversation occurred during implementation, after he had left the Senate. The division chairperson, Associate Justice Karl Miranda, dissented. The case continues to trial.

Estrada, Bonoan and DPWH NCR engineers

On 28 May 2026, the Ombudsman filed plunder and two graft cases against Senator Estrada, former DPWH Secretary Bonoan, and DPWH NCR district engineers. According to GMA News, the plunder case was raffled to the Fifth Division and the graft cases to the Second and Fifth Divisions; three former DPWH officials were dropped as accused because they are state witnesses. Estrada vowed to "exhaust all legal remedies." Detailed procedural status after filing was not confirmed in the sources we reviewed.

Romualdez, Co and two others (P7.4-billion plunder)

Filed on 7 September 2026, this is the largest case by amount. The information alleges receipt of kickbacks on at least 15 occasions totaling at least P7.4 billion, linked to projects funded under the 2022 to 2025 General Appropriations Acts. Romualdez was arrested in hospital, transferred to the New Quezon City Jail on 14 September, and pleaded not guilty on 16 September. In a statement reported by GMA News on 14 September 2026, he said: "I maintain my innocence."

“I have always said that I will face the charges against me and answer them before the proper court.”

— Martin Romualdez, statement reported by GMA News, 14 September 2026

His bail petition, filed on 28 September, argues that state-witness testimony concerns dealings with Co rather than with him, that several of Co's former security aides have recanted, and that his role as Speaker in passing appropriations measures does not prove participation, as summarized by GMA News on 10 October 2026. Prosecutors allege he conspired with Co, then appropriations committee chair, in budget insertions. The pre-trial order was set for signing and bail hearings were set to begin on 12 October 2026; the outcome of the bail proceedings had not been reported in the sources we reviewed as of the research date.

5Following the money: freezes, forfeiture and attachment

Alongside the criminal cases, the state is using three separate asset tools. They have different courts, standards and consequences, and a company can be caught by one without being an accused in any criminal case.

• Freeze orders (AMLA). Under Section 10 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act as amended by RA 10365, the Court of Appeals may, on AMLC's petition, freeze accounts and property related to an unlawful activity for up to six months; it must act within 24 hours of filing, and only the Supreme Court may restrain a freeze order. Graft and plunder are predicate offenses. By April 2026, AMLC said total frozen assets in the probe had reached P24.7 billion across bank accounts, insurance policies, vehicles, aircraft, real property, e-wallets and securities, according to GMA News's 24 April 2026 report.
• Civil forfeiture. Under amended Section 12, AMLC files forfeiture petitions through the Solicitor General; forfeiture can reach property of equivalent value where the original assets were moved or commingled. The same AMLC update said 12 petitions were pending before regional trial courts with provisional asset preservation orders in place. Civil forfeiture is an action against the property and does not require a criminal conviction.
• Preliminary attachment in the criminal case. The Sandiganbayan can secure the civil aspect of a criminal case. On 4 March 2026, the Fifth Division granted an ex parte writ over 16 parcels, condominium units and parking slots registered to Co alone or with his spouse, to secure more than P215 million in alleged civil liability, as Philstar reported.

For banks, insurers, brokers, e-wallet operators and real-estate developers, these orders are operational events: a covered person must immediately implement a freeze and report it, and should expect follow-up requests. For a business counterparty of a frozen person, receivables, joint accounts and pledged assets can be affected even though the counterparty itself is not accused.

6What the cases mean for contractors and corporate officers

Although most headlines concern legislators, the informations also name contractor directors, district engineers and private intermediaries. Several points from the rulings so far deserve attention from any company that bids for public works or supplies government.

Private persons can be co-accused

RA 3019 punishes private individuals who conspire with public officers, and corporations act only through officers and employees. In practice, the directors, project managers or finance officers who signed or caused the documents are the ones charged. The Naujan case, for example, names directors of the contractor alongside DPWH officials, according to GMA News's case roundup.

"Ministerial" is not a safe harbor

The Sixth Division's March 2026 bail resolution rejected the argument that signing vouchers and certifications was a purely ministerial act. For contractors, the parallel is the accomplishment report, progress billing and completion certificate: a document stating that work is "100 percent accomplished" is evidence, and everyone in the approval chain should be able to show what they personally verified.

Compliance exposure beyond the criminal case

A contractor connected to an anomalous project may face blacklisting and contract termination under procurement rules, tax investigations (the DOJ has filed tax evasion cases against two contractors before the Court of Tax Appeals, according to GMA's roundup), freeze orders on corporate accounts, and civil claims for the return of funds. See our discussion of public procurement transparency reforms for the procurement side.

• Map every officer who signs bids, progress billings, accomplishment reports and acceptance documents, and document what each verifies.
• Require geotagged, dated site photographs and independent inspection records before billing.
• Review subcontracts, "facilitation" or consultancy arrangements and cash-handling practices for any payment to or for public officials.
• Screen counterparties against publicly reported freeze orders and assess the effect on receivables and joint accounts.
• Adopt or refresh an anti-bribery policy, gift and hospitality register, and a whistleblowing channel with board-level oversight.
• Preserve records: deletion after a subpoena or investigation notice creates separate risk.

7What to watch through the end of 2026

Several milestones may arrive in the remaining weeks of the year. None is guaranteed, and court calendars change.

• First judgments. Presiding Justice Econg said in September that, following speedy-trial rules, the court could see "conviction or acquittal within the year" in the earliest cases. Any decision will be subject to a motion for reconsideration and appeal to the Supreme Court.
• The Romualdez bail resolution and the Third Division's action on preventive suspension.
• Additional Ombudsman filings. The Ombudsman has said more cases are being prepared; the count has risen with each report.
• Asset cases. Extensions or lifting of freeze orders and progress in the civil forfeiture petitions.
• Extradition and red notices for accused who remain abroad.

For background on how the anti-graft court prioritizes these matters, see our earlier pieces on Sandiganbayan priority anti-graft cases and pre-trial and on the Ombudsman's concurrent jurisdiction over administrative cases.

• As of 12 October 2026 the Ombudsman reported 39 flood-control cases in court, 35 of them at the Sandiganbayan; no verdict had been reported as of 6 November 2026.
• Bail rulings so far have gone both ways and are not findings of guilt or innocence.
• All accused are presumed innocent; Romualdez, Co and others have denied wrongdoing.
• Freeze orders, civil forfeiture and attachment run on separate tracks and can affect non-accused counterparties.
• Contractors should treat accomplishment reports and certifications as potential evidence and tighten sign-off controls.

If your company is reviewing its exposure on government contracts, needs to respond to a freeze order affecting a counterparty, or wants an anti-graft compliance program reviewed, our corporate law team and civil litigation practice can help. You can reach us through our contact page.

8Frequently asked questions