Former House Speaker Romualdez Charged With Plunder Over Flood Control Kickbacks

Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was arrested and is facing plunder charges before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan over an alleged flood control kickback scheme, according to international wire reports published September 7, 2026.

Prosecutors allege the case involves roughly ₱7.4 billion (about $118 million) in kickbacks tied to flood control projects, a number of which were reportedly never built. Three other individuals face charges alongside Romualdez.

Romualdez has not been convicted, and the charges remain before the court. His office has not issued a detailed public rebuttal as of this report.

The arrest is the highest-profile development yet in a corruption scandal that has consumed Philippine politics since 2025, when President Marcos first flagged anomalies in flood control spending during his State of the Nation Address.

Background

The flood control scandal centers on thousands of government-funded flood mitigation projects — embankments, drainage systems, and river-control structures — awarded between 2022 and 2025. Investigators have since found that a large share of the spending was concentrated among a small number of contractors, with some projects appearing to exist only on paper.