Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has regained the chairmanship of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and invited 17 House lawmakers, including former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Rep. Paolo Duterte, and resigned Rep. Zaldy Co, to attend the next hearing on the flood control corruption scandal.
Lacson confirmed that a key witness remains willing to testify on alleged kickbacks involving lawmakers, DPWH officials, and contractors, while the Ombudsman prepares to file initial criminal cases within two weeks against Co, DPWH Region IV-B officials, and Sunwest Inc. over a ₱289-million anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
Former Quezon City Rep. Mike Defensor also said whistleblower Orly Guteza is ready to testify, stressing his actions were voluntary and not politically motivated.
Meanwhile, a House probe revealed at least 10 “ghost and problematic” flood control projects in Davao City’s first district, worth part of ₱51 billion in allocations from 2020 to 2022.
Lawmakers said the irregularities point to systemic corruption in infrastructure spending across multiple regions.
Source: PhilNews24 | November 12, 2025
