A Philippine lawmaker charged with corruption in flood control projects
Summary
A Philippine lawmaker and former House speaker, Martin Romualdez, was charged with corruption for allegedly taking $118 million in illegal payments from flood control projects. These projects, meant to protect communities from typhoons, are under investigation due to poor quality, high costs, and some not being built at all.Key Facts
- Martin Romualdez, a cousin and former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., faces plunder charges in the anti-corruption court.
- The stolen amount is estimated at 7.4 billion pesos (about $118 million).
- Nearly 10,000 flood control projects worth over 545 billion pesos ($9 billion) are being checked for fraud or bad work.
- Some projects were overpriced, poorly made, or not built.
- Other officials, including a former House appropriations chair who fled to Europe, senators, engineers, and construction bosses, have been charged or detained.
- Money stolen was allegedly hidden by buying houses and donating $1 million to Harvard University.
- President Marcos called the corruption “horrible” and set up an independent commission to investigate, promising no one will be spared, including relatives.
- More cases and charges like money laundering are expected to be filed soon.
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