Ombudsman receives Senate Blue Ribbon's partial report on flood control mess

The Office of the Ombudsman has received the partial Senate Blue Ribbon report on its inquiry on the flood control mess, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Tuesday.

“I am confirming receipt of the transmittal of the partial committee report from the office of Senator Ping Lacson,” Clavano said in a statement.

“The relevant information will be cascaded to the teams in charge of the different flood control cases for their perusal and use, if necessary,” he added.

The partial Senate Blue Ribbon report, which was not reported to the plenary but was instead delivered by Lacson in a privilege speech because it did not gather enough signatures to hurdle the committee level.

It recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against a number of senators and former lawmakers in connection with the anomalous flood control projects, namely:

• Senator Joel Villanueva
• Senator Jinggoy Estrada
• Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero
• former Senator Bong Revilla
• former Ako Bicol Party-List Representative Zaldy Co, and
• former Caloocan Representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy

All the officials and former officials have denied the allegations.

Ombudsman prosecutors have so far filed three batches of flood control cases since the flood control probe was launched in September 2025.

These are the following:

• Malversation and graft charges against resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Co and at least 15 others over the P289 million alleged substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro;
• Malversation and graft charges against contractor Sarah Discaya and several others over the P96.5 million alleged ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental; and
• Malversation and graft charges against former Senator Revilla, Jr., ex-Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez and five others over the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

—VAL, GMA News