Ombudsman: 35 to 45 flood-control cases active, second plunder draft in progress

At a May 15, 2026 press briefing, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla reported that his office is working through 35 to 45 active complaints arising from the DPWH flood-control kickback scheme. The first complaint, against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, runs to 61 pages and was filed on April 20, 2026 for plunder and graft. Remulla said a second complaint is being drafted on conspiracy to commit plunder, expected to bring in additional House and Senate members. He confirmed that his office is coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council on fund tracking. He scheduled additional filings between May and July and another batch by September. The briefing followed the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's transmittal of its partial flood-control report to the Ombudsman on May 13, 2026. It is the first public timeline the office has given on the broader case buildup beyond the Romualdez complaint already filed. The following day, May 16, Remulla expanded on the case load on a dzRH radio program. He confirmed that a second money laundering case against Martin Romualdez is specifically in preparation, and named additional respondents under consideration: former Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, former Zamboanga City Rep. Mannix Dalipe, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, and former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co (already facing earlier cases).