The Office of the Ombudsman said former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has submitted his counter-affidavit in response to the allegations linking him to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal now under preliminary investigation.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the complaints involving possible plunder and graft charges against Escudero remain in the preliminary investigation stage.

Clavano explained that respondents are required to answer allegations once the Ombudsman completes the fact-finding phase of its investigation.

Escudero has denied any wrongdoing.

“What came out yesterday was his counter-affidavit. He has already answered the allegations,” Clavano said in a radio interview.

He said the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation panel would determine whether the complaint should eventually be filed before the Sandiganbayan.

Asked why prosecutors were pursuing plunder charges despite the difficulty of securing convictions under the law, Clavano said investigators based their recommendations on the evidence gathered and what he described as the changing public sentiment.

Two convicted

“The current direction is that maybe we can give a chance to revisit our plunder doctrines because times are different now, especially with the advent of social media where everything is visible,” Clavano said.

“Maybe the Ombudsman believes the current atmosphere is ripe to revisit some of the obstacles in convicting officials for plunder,” he added.

Historically, only two public officials have been convicted of plunder in the Philippines — former President Joseph Estrada in 2007 and former Bureau of Internal Revenue cashier Dominga Manalili in 2001.

Escudero’s name first surfaced during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, where former Department of Public Works and Highways engineer Roberto Bernardo alleged that the senator received a 20-percent share from P1.4-billion worth of flood control projects.