The lawyer for the United People Against Corruption (UPAC) on Monday clarified that the P1-billion civil case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas, and other respondents was not dismissed because of insufficient evidence, but due to unpaid filing fees.

UPAC counsel Ariel Inton said the Quezon City Regional Trial Court dismissed the case solely on jurisdictional grounds after plaintiffs failed to pay more than P20 million in docket and filing fees, which he described as prohibitive for indigent litigants.

Inton said UPAC has elevated the matter to the Court of Appeals, challenging what it called a barrier to justice and seeking recognition as pauper litigants.

"The heavy evidence of corruption... has yet to be tried, and the battle for accountability is far from finished," Inton said.

The case, filed in December 2025, accuses the respondents of abuse of rights and unjust enrichment over alleged anomalous flood control projects.

Vargas earlier welcomed the dismissal, saying it proved the allegations were fabricated. UPAC rejected the claim, stressing that the court did not rule on the merits of the complaint and merely dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction stemming from non-payment of filing fees.