ICC probes Naujan flood control project amid mayor's claims

Naujan Mayor Henry Joel Teves claimed the municipal government has no records of a P289.5-million flood control project along Mag-Asawang Tubig River. However, his 2023 social media posts described it. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure found no liability for former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

A P289.5-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro—a road-dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River spanning barangays San Andres, Tagumpay, and Inarawan—has sparked controversy. Naujan Mayor Henry Joel Teves told the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICC) that the municipal government has no project documents and issued no building permit to contractor Sunwest Inc. because no application was filed, according to Rappler. The project is under investigation and Sandiganbayan litigation. However, Teves's 2023 social media posts described it as an esplanade-style road-dike similar to Roxas Boulevard baywalk. Reader Arlene Raagas questioned how such a project proceeded without municipal knowledge, especially as Mayor Teves's daughter, Stephanie “Phanie” Teves-Wong, served as municipal administrator from August 2023 to September 2024. Meanwhile, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre stated the ICI report, signed by retired Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes, found no liability for former House speaker Martin Romualdez: “This referral is issued without any finding or conclusion of guilt or liability on the part of former speaker Martin Romualdez.” He urged Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco to stop misleading the public on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. Readers call for sustained scrutiny of taxpayer-funded infrastructure.

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Realistic illustration of a press conference announcing charges against senators in a flood control kickback scandal, with documents and public frustration depicted.
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ICI recommends charges against senators in flood control scandal

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The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has recommended criminal and administrative complaints against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, former Representative Zaldy Co, and three others over alleged kickbacks in flood control projects. Related probes include a forged affidavit by a Senate witness linked to Co and efforts to forfeit implicated assets. Lawmakers are pushing for a stronger anti-corruption body amid public frustration with the inquiry's pace.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to hand over all evidence from their probe into anomalous flood control projects to the Ombudsman. This accompanies the agencies' recommendation to file plunder, graft, and bribery charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former congressman Zaldy Co. The Ombudsman's decision will be based on evidence from contracts and testimonies.

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Henry Alcantara, a former district engineer at the DPWH Bulacan regional office and now a state witness, will testify in the malversation trial against resigned lawmaker and fugitive Zaldy Co and 15 others over an alleged substandard P289.5-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

The Office of the Ombudsman has placed around 30 cases involving the Department of Public Works and Highways under preliminary investigation amid allegations of anomalies in flood control projects. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced the development on November 4, 2025, as part of a broader government crackdown. A new task force will also examine projects linked to the Villar family.

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As the country grapples with the fallout from a massive infrastructure scam, a flood control project continues on reclaimed land in Laguna de Bay. The contractor is Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc., implicated in Bulacan's ghost flood control projects. Investigation shows Phase 1 in Taguig City is 70.08% complete.

Repeated insinuations of Rep. Martin Romualdez's involvement in the flood control controversy should end following contractor Curlee Discaya's declaration that the former speaker has no connection to it. Rep. Jude Acidre described Discaya's denial as a welcome development that highlights the need for evidence-based discourse to curb unfounded allegations. Discaya remains detained at the Senate over his alleged links to the issue.

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In a Senate hearing, two witnesses identified contractor Curlee Discaya as the one handling renovations for a property allegedly owned by former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The testimony provides the first concrete link between Discaya and Romualdez in the ongoing flood control corruption probe. Romualdez's camp dismissed the claims as baseless hearsay.

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NBI seeks Interpol red notice against Zaldy Co

Ijumaa, 5. Mwezi wa kumi na mbili 2025, 10:22:02

Amlc freezes p13 billion in assets linked to flood control scandal

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Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrant for Zaldy Co

 

 

 

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