The Independent Commission for Infrastructure and the Department of Public Works and Highways on Friday recommended the filing of corruption charges, including plunder, against former House speaker Martin Romualdez and his ex-ally, resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, in connection with the purported anomalies in flood control projects.

ICI panel member Rogelio Singson and DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon filed the referrals before the Ombudsman, along with piles of evidence against Romualdez and Co.

Aside from plunder, Romualdez and Co may also face graft and direct bribery charges.

The case pertains to more than P100 billion in contracts awarded to Co-owned Sunwest Inc. and Hi-Tone Construction from 2016 up to the present. 

The referral also contains the sworn testimony of whistleblower Orly Guteza in the Senate flood control probe, in which he accused Romualdez and Co of receiving flood control kickbacks, which he regularly delivered to their residences in McKinley, Taguig, and Valle Verde 6, Pasig, respectively. 

"The referral is a collection of facts; these are the documents from the DPWH. Mostly, these are contracts of the companies that have been alleged to be connected to former Cong. Zaldy Co…namely Sunwest Construction and Hi-Tone Construction," Dizon said in a briefing.

Prior to the filing, President Marcos Jr. already announced that Romualdez and Co will face potential plunder charges as a result of the ongoing investigation into the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal, affirming that no one will be spared from accountability and liability.

Romualdez: Let Ombudsman decide my fate

Romualdez, in response, countered that the absence of a sworn statement or credible evidence linking him to supposed irregularities in the flood control projects is a clear indication of his clear conscience, not to mention his “voluntary” submission and cooperation with the ICI and his continued stay in the country amid the ongoing probe.

Nonetheless, Romualdez said he will leave his fate in the hands of Ombudsman Boying Remulla, whose credibility had been questioned by Co due to him being “fraternity brothers” with the ex-House speaker.

“It's now with the Ombudsman. I trust in the Ombudsman’s impartial and thorough review and evaluation. I do so with confidence that a fair and complete assessment of the record will reflect the truth,” he averred.

Sunwest, Hi-Tone bagged billions of flood control contracts 

Back in August, Marcos explicitly tagged Sunwest and Hi-Tone as among the top 15 contractors that bagged P100 billion in flood control projects. 

A review of the list of flood control projects available on the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website shows that Sunwest cornered 79 projects worth over P10 billion from 7 July 2022 to May this year. 

The Albay-based Sunwest, formerly Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation, was established in 1997 and co-founded by Co.

Sunwest had the most projects in Romblon with 18, while it had 11 and 10 in Leyte and Camarines Sur, respectively. The firm also had projects in Oriental Mindoro (9), Occidental Mindoro (7), Surigao del Sur (7), Albay (5), Marinduque (3), Catanduanes (2), Antique (2), Davao del Sur (1), and Guimaras (1).

Meanwhile, Hi-Tone, a firm co-founded by Co and his brother and predecessor, Christopher Co, bagged 65 projects nationwide. 

Earlier this month, Co alleged that Marcos orchestrated the insertion of P100 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), of which P56 billion purportedly went straight to the President and former speaker. 

Co also showed digital shots of nearly 300 suitcases allegedly delivered to Marcos and Romualdez at Malacanang and Forbes Park from January 2024 to May of this year.

Marcos asserted that he “won’t dignify” Co’s allegations, while Romualdez contended that the imputations of his erstwhile ally “do not hold water in the court of law.”

As this developed, Marcos announced that an arrest warrant from the Sandiganbayan had already been issued against Co and 17 other respondents in the corruption cases filed by the Ombudsman in the anti-graft court on Tuesday.

Remulla, in response, ordered concerned authorities to “execute the warrants without delay,” ensuring that those who defrauded the government will be immediately brought “before the bar of justice.”

According to ICI, approximately 1,200 individuals could face criminal charges over the fraudulent flood control projects, which the fact-finding body expects to refer to the Ombudsman once it obtains additional documents and evidence from military-police ground troops, who are also investigating the so-called ghost flood control projects nationwide.