Escudero submits counter-affidavit at Ombudsman, denying P586M flood control kickback complaint

Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero submitted his counter-affidavit at the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, May 28, 2026, formally denying the flood control plunder and graft complaint that reached preliminary investigation on May 21, 2026. The underlying complaint rests on the sworn testimony of former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who stated that approximately P586 million in flood control kickbacks were arranged for Escudero through General Appropriations Act insertions covering projects in Valenzuela, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, and Quezon City. Bernardo's affidavit detailed two specific deliveries through businessman Maynard Ngu: P160 million as a 20 percent cut on P800 million in Valenzuela projects, followed by P120 million in 2025. Escudero's standing public posture, repeated in the counter-affidavit filing, is that Bernardo "never had any contact with me directly regarding this matter," that he never authorized Ngu to receive funds on his behalf, and that the allegations are "malicious allegations and innuendos" tied to a broader effort to discredit the Senate. The counter-affidavit submission keeps the case in preliminary investigation at the Office of the Ombudsman. A Sandiganbayan Sixth Division precautionary hold-departure order against Escudero and Ngu remains in force. The Ombudsman next decides whether to find probable cause and file an information at the Sandiganbayan, the same procedural track that produced the May 28 plunder filing against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.