Former Senator Bong Revilla may face a plunder case again, this time over alleged involvement in the flood control scandal, as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) referred him and nine others to the Ombudsman for investigation.
ICI chairperson retired Justice Andres Reyes Jr. cited testimony from former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who alleged that Revilla received kickbacks from flood control projects—₱125 million delivered to his residence in Cavite in December 2024 and another ₱250 million before the 2025 midterm elections.
Revilla, through his spokesperson Maria Carissa Guinto, denied the allegations.
“The allegations against him are based on the meaningless accusations fabricated by a criminal mastermind and his cohorts who are desperately buying their way to freedom,” she said.
“From the beginning, our client made himself fully available to the ICI and openly welcomed their inquiry. Yet he was never invited to speak, never given the opportunity to defend himself.”
The ICI also recommended plunder, direct or indirect bribery, and administrative charges against tech billionaire Maynard Ngu, said to be the bagman of Senator Chiz Escudero, who along with Senators Mark Villar, Nancy Binay, and Grace Poe are under further investigative review.
“We need more witnesses. Pangalawa (secondly) we are not washing our hands from these cases, we are joining hands with the ombudsman,” Reyes said.
Poe maintained her innocence, calling the recommendation “a clear acknowledgement that former Usec. Bernardo’s allegations against me are false and that there is no evidence to support the filing of charges against me.”
Others implicated have yet to issue statements.