Daily TribuneThey (Romualdez and Escudero) were not charged because, firstly, Marcos must protect his allies and, secondly, because he needs to protect himself.
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ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio
Jerod Orcullo
A congressman has challenged investigators probing the multibillion-peso flood control scandal to determine whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself was “the biggest fish” behind the alleged massive corruption.
ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio on Sunday argued that the ongoing investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman has been marked by selective prosecution.
“The most important question now is: What if the biggest fish is President Bongbong Marcos himself?” Tinio said, nearly a year after Marcos first raised the issue in his previous State of the Nation Address (SoNA) with his admonition to lawmakers, “mahiya naman kayo” (“Have some shame.”).
Tinio said the public remains unconvinced by the prosecution of several political figures, insisting those “most responsible” for the alleged misuse of billions of pesos in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control funds have yet to be held accountable.
It may be recalled that expelled Rep. Zaldy Co had accused Marcos and his cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, of receiving billions of pesos in kickbacks from ghost or substandard flood control projects funded under the 2025 national budget, which was described as “the most corrupt ever.” Co’s allegations, denied by Marcos and Romualdez, were supported by statements from his bodyguards, the so-called 18 ex-Marines, who claimed they delivered the money in suitcases to the residences of Marcos and Romualdez.
Selective actions
“Malacañang could say that there have been individuals imprisoned — one former senator, two sitting senators — but for the public, that is not enough. Yes, the detained officials have liability, but the public knows that they are not the most responsible in the flood control corruption,” he said.
The lawmaker was referring to former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta, who are all detained at the Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory.
Revilla and Estrada were charged in separate graft and plunder cases linked to alleged kickbacks from DPWH flood projects, while Marcoleta was recently detained over undisclosed campaign donations he allegedly received during the 2025 elections.
Despite those cases, Tinio maintained that the public viewed the investigations as selective because those detained were administration critics while senior government officials remained untouched.
“His allies are the most responsible. Former leaders of the House and the Senate, Cong. Martin Romualdez and Sen. Chiz Escudero, and Cabinet members should be the primary people held to account. With the president at the helm, they are the ones most guilty,” he said.
Escudero now chairs the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“But they (Romualdez and Escudero) were not charged because, firstly, Marcos must protect his allies and, secondly, because he needs to protect himself,” he added.
SoNA focus
Tinio also named former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, former Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Adrian Bersamin, former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan as among the officials who, he claimed, have not been properly investigated.
Tinio reiterated that such developments were part of an ongoing effort to suppress evidence, information and testimony that would “inevitably” trace back to Marcos if high-ranking officials were implicated.
He argued that the continuing focus on Vice President Duterte’s impeachment, while the flood control investigation has yet to reach top administration officials, reinforces public perceptions of selective accountability.
“Whether she gets convicted or not, the perception of the public will remain that this is selective if the people most responsible for the flood control corruption are not prosecuted, primarily the President,” he said.
As Marcos prepares to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address on 27 July, Tinio said the demand for accountability would persist.
“With the coming SoNA, the public still echoes the call: All involved must be held accountable, and we will start from the very top. With BBM. Only then will all the rest follow,” he said.
The Office of the Ombudsman has denied allegations that its investigations are politically motivated, saying no public official is exempt from prosecution if supported by evidence.
‘No such thing’
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla rejected claims that his office was targeting members of the Senate minority over the criminal cases filed against Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Robin Padilla in connection with the May 14 escape of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from the Senate compound.
“No such thing. Remember the people in jail now, many of them were our allies from the very beginning. That’s just the way it is. Everybody is hit with cases. This is not selective,” Remulla said.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano likewise said the Office of the Ombudsman follows the evidence regardless of who may be implicated.
“We are not biased to anyone here. The Ombudsman has always said we will follow the evidence. So if the evidence is there, who are we to stop that from coming out?” Clavano said.
He added that the office would investigate any public official, including the President, if warranted by the evidence.
The Ombudsman said its investigation into contractors involved in the flood control projects remains at the preliminary investigation stage and stressed that cases would only be filed once sufficient evidence has been gathered to support convictions.
