MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has filed its third set of graft and malversation complaints linked to infrastructure corruption before the Sandiganbayan, this time targeting former Sen. Bong Revilla and six former Public Works officials.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano submitted the complaint on Friday, January 16, regarding a P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, seeking non-bailable charges against seven individuals, mostly from the Bulacan District Engineering Office.
The respondents include:
- Former Sen. Bong Revilla
- Assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez
- Engineer Jaypee Mendoza
- Engineer Arjay Dumasig
- Engineer Emelita Juat
- Accountant Juanito Mendoza
- Cashier II Christina Pineda
The respondents are charged with malversation of public funds and falsifying public documents under Articles 217, 171, and 172 of the Revised Penal Code, and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Clavano said the complaint alleges that Revilla and the six other officials conspired to release the payment of P76 million for the flood control project. However, official inspection and witness accounts showed the project was never implemented.
“Despite the absence of any actual construction, the respondents declared the project completed. Thereafter, to facilitate the release of the entire project cost, the respondents are found to have falsified accomplishment reports, issued fraudulent billing documents and endorsed disbursement vouchers,” he added.
Clavano further explained that non-bailable charges meant respondents would be detained pending trial, just like contractor Sarah Discaya, who has been detained since December 2025.
“This sends and should send a clear message: those who misuse public funds will be held accountable under the law. … As we have stated before, this is only the beginning,” he said.
He added that the Ombudsman is still handling several other cases, with preliminary investigations and fact-finding efforts currently underway.
On January 5, Revilla attended the Department of Justice’s preliminary investigation into the ghost flood control project in Bulacan, filing his counter-affidavit and denying the bribery and malversation charges. He called the allegations “baseless” through his legal counsel.
Revilla faces accusations from former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo of receiving kickbacks worth 25 percent of flood control projects. Bernardo also said he delivered P125 million to Revilla’s home in 2024 and a separate P250 million before the 2025 midterm elections.
The DOJ also confirmed that a plunder case against Revilla over the flood control projects is underway, with former Rep. Elizaldy Co and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada facing separate complaints.
The former senator filed his counter-affidavit in December 2025 in response to the complaint tied to SYMS Construction.
