Flood control cases seen resolved this year

The Sandiganbayan expects to resolve flood control-related cases involving lawmakers and their alleged cohorts within the year, its presiding justice told a Senate panel Thursday.

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Econg said 26 flood control cases had been filed by the Ombudsman before the anti-graft court as of September, with the first involving former lawmaker Zaldy Co filed in November last year.

The cases include those against senators and congressmen, Econg said, noting that the first batch had already reached the defense stage in less than a year.

“If we follow the Speedy Trial Act that was enacted by the SC (Supreme Court), we will see the conviction or acquittal within the year,” Econg said during the Senate Committee on Finance’s deliberations on the judiciary’s proposed P86.27-billion budget for 2027.

The latest case filed by the Ombudsman involves former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who faces a P7.44-billion plunder charge, along with Co, who remains abroad while facing a Sandiganbayan arrest warrant.

Econg attributed the faster disposition of cases to more efficient case handling, with the court’s caseload falling to 525 this year from 1,229 in 2024.

The Sandiganbayan’s conviction rate also rose to 82.48 percent in 2026 from 11.2 percent in 2021. She said. “Now it has changed. We now have eight convicted out of 10,” Econg said.