MANILA, Philippines—The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation into alleged irregularities and massive corruption in flood control projects is gaining critical momentum, with new evidence linking several high-profile senators—namely Senator Chiz Escudero, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and Senator Joel Villanueva—to the anomalies.
The development follows the return of Senator Ping Lacson as the committee chairperson, who confirmed that crucial corroborating evidence, including money trails traced by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), has been submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, significantly strengthening the cases against the implicated officials.
Lacson Confirms AMLC Evidence and ICI Recommendations
In a recent interview, Senator Lacson detailed his meeting with the Investigative Coordinating Committee (ICI), where he was briefed alongside Senate President Tito Sotto. Lacson revealed that the ICI possesses evidence beyond the initial whistleblower testimonies, which now includes documentary evidence from the AMLC.
“The AMLC knows the movement of money. They know the money trail,” Lacson stated, confirming that the Council’s records show financial transactions and movements that corroborate the testimonies of the whistleblowers. This linkage between sworn statements and hard financial data is crucial, as it provides the necessary corroboration to move the cases forward.
Lacson noted that the ICI recommended the filing of charges—or at the very least, subject them to preliminary investigation—against Senators Estrada and Villanueva because the AMLC evidence supports the allegations of kickbacks and illegal transactions related to the flood control budget insertions.
“The money trail… that will hold up because the testimony and the money trail are congruent,” Lacson emphasized, adding that the AMLC’s powerful capability to trace suspicious transactions is providing the missing link that was previously lacking in the testimonies of key witnesses.
The Problem of Corroboration: The Mualdes Case
Lacson also provided an update on the case of former Speaker Fuentebella (referred to as Mualdes/Mualdes in the transcript), who was implicated by missing whistleblower Orli Gotesa. Lacson stressed the fundamental weakness of the case without the AMLC’s intervention:
“Only Orli Gotesa implicated him, and there is no corroboration. That is why it is so important,” Lacson said. He emphasized that testimony cannot stand alone (hindi pwedeng stand alone) and needs supporting documentation or corroborating witnesses to hold up in court.
In contrast, the cases against the implicated senators are now being bolstered by the AMLC’s documentary evidence, mitigating the previous reliance solely on sworn testimonies.
Bombshell Testimony Implicates Senator Escudero
The investigation took a significant turn with the detailed revelations provided in the Supplemental Affidavit of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. The document, submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), explicitly implicates Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Bernardo confirmed an earlier statement that a campaign contributor and close friend of Escudero, Mayard Ngu, was involved. In the supplemental affidavit, Bernardo narrated a direct interaction with Senator Escudero at the Senate in August 2022:
“I was summoned by Senator Chiz to his room… He told me, ‘I won’t come down from the CA [Commission on Appointments]. I still have many missing streetlights in Sorsogon. What can you do for me?'”
Bernardo subsequently relayed this to then-Secretary Bunoan, and later received a list of projects, including the streetlights, from Escudero’s brother-in-law.
More damning was Bernardo’s subsequent private meeting with Escudero and Ngu in 2023, where the senator allegedly said: “I know your dealings there at the DPWH. I’m okay with it. Tell [Secretary] to drop [money] for me.”
Bernardo also stated that the delivery of P160 million for Senator Escudero—referenced in an earlier affidavit—occurred in the first quarter of 2025.
These direct statements, now part of the investigation’s official record, allege that Senator Escudero directly leveraged his legislative position for personal gain from public works projects. Ombudsman Remulla (misidentified as “Remulia” in the transcript) also previously hinted at an AMLC “money trail” specific to Escudero.
Senator Escudero has previously denied all allegations, calling them part of an “organized plan to discredit the Senate, destroy public trust, and cover up the real culprits.” However, the convergence of witness testimony and AMLC-traced financial records significantly weakens his defense.
New Whistleblower to “Wrap Up” Flood Control Case
Senator Lacson also teased the appearance of a VIP witness during the November 14 resumption of the Blue Ribbon hearing. This witness, reportedly a former politician, is expected to provide documentation and further details to “wrap up” the flood control case, including naming new individuals involved in the corruption scheme.
The ongoing investigation—propelled by the ICI, Ombudsman, and the Department of Justice (DOJ)—marks a critical phase in the prosecution of high-level corruption in the Philippines. The utilization of AMLC data provides the robust, non-testimonial evidence that prosecutors have historically needed to successfully pursue cases against powerful political figures.
