Lord Allan Merced-Garcia filed a plunder complaint with the Ombudsman on October 30, 2025, against the Espina family of Biliran over alleged theft in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects. Roving Premier, owned by Vice Governor Roselyn Espina-Paras and her husband, secured over P1 billion in contracts since 2020. This ties into the broader flood control corruption scandal exposed by President Marcos Jr. in July 2025.
On July 28, 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. exposed massive corruption in government flood control projects during his State of the Nation Address, where billions of pesos were allegedly diverted to private pockets. Three months later, as of an October 31, 2025, Rappler opinion piece, no arrests or charges have been made. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the Ombudsman are actively investigating, targeting case filings by November 25, 2025, starting with simpler charges like malversation and bribery due to plunder's high P50 million threshold.
Amid this, Lord Allan Merced-Garcia filed a plunder complaint on October 30 against Vice Governor Roselyn Espina-Paras, her husband Irving Paras, Governor Roger Espina, Representative Gerryboy Espina, and Mayor Gretchen Espina. The Espina family, controlling Biliran politics since 1995, allegedly used influence to award 45 contracts worth over P1 billion to Roving Premier since 2020, all in Biliran. The projects were substandard with cost manipulation, violating Republic Act No. 7080.
Governor Roger Espina responded on social media, calling it a 'smear' and vowing not to back down. In the broader scandal, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) assured on October 30 that 13 aircraft linked to former congressman Elizaldy 'Zaldy' Co cannot be sold or re-registered, though three flew out in August and September before formal probes. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon stated they will be recovered through legal proceedings. Additionally, Marcos directed the DPWH to cut prices of materials like cement to avoid up to 50 percent overpricing, assuring no financial losses to businesses.
These developments highlight urgency in the anti-corruption drive, but delays fuel public skepticism.
