https://www.scmp.com/rss/523422/feed The latest news and top stories on Martin Romualdez, the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Philippines since 2022. He previously represented Leyte’s first district and was House Majority Leader. Romualdez is a cousin of the Philippines President Bongbong Marcos. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Thursday night that a key suspect in a corruption scandal that has sparked public outrage in the Philippines has been arrested in the Czech Republic and that efforts were under way to repatriate the former lawmaker. Zaldy Co, who resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being implicated in financial anomalies involving flood control projects, was detained by authorities in Prague after crossing into the Central European... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350373/philippines-corruption-scandal-suspect-zaldy-co-arrested-prague-marcos-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350373/philippines-corruption-scandal-suspect-zaldy-co-arrested-prague-marcos-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:37:34 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles As judges in The Hague consider whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case should proceed to trial, a parallel battle over the narrative has taken hold online. Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have accused Duterte of overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings linked to his signature “war on drugs”. Rights groups say the campaign left thousands dead during his 2016-2022 presidency, allegations he has repeatedly denied. Analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345198/allies-philippines-duterte-step-online-attacks-drug-war-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345198/allies-philippines-duterte-step-online-attacks-drug-war-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The death of a senior public works official alleged to have played a central role in the billion-peso flood-control scandal in the Philippines has cast fresh doubt over the future of a months-long corruption probe, with investigators now facing questions over lost testimony and compromised evidence. Legal analysts say the investigations now risk unravelling altogether, warning that the probe is “in peril” after the loss of a figure seen as pivotal to understanding how alleged budget manipulation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338128/after-key-officials-death-can-philippines-flood-control-probe-still-deliver-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338128/after-key-officials-death-can-philippines-flood-control-probe-still-deliver-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:30:14 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk The Philippines’ first family has signalled its readiness to open its finances to scrutiny after allegations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s son received a disproportionate share of public works funding, deepening a political crisis that has already forced several senior officials from office. Such financial inspections – known locally as lifestyle checks and used to detect unexplained wealth among public officials – have taken on new urgency as the government confronts the widening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335068/philippines-first-family-says-it-welcomes-scrutiny-wealth-dispel-graft-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335068/philippines-first-family-says-it-welcomes-scrutiny-wealth-dispel-graft-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:13:37 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A former prominent lawmaker now in hiding has released new videos accusing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s family of orchestrating massive corruption, escalating a scandal that is fast becoming a test of accountability for one of Southeast Asia’s most politically influential dynasties. Observers told This Week in Asia that although Zaldy Co’s allegations remained unverified and required rigorous fact-checking, they struck at the core of a system where budget power, patronage and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334274/philippine-scandal-escalates-marcos-family-accused-budget-corruption-patronage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334274/philippine-scandal-escalates-marcos-family-accused-budget-corruption-patronage?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:22:34 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for former lawmaker Zaldy Co and 17 others accused of involvement in anomalous infrastructure projects. The move marks the first major enforcement action since authorities began probing so-called “ghost” flood control projects, referring to substandard or non-existent works now at the centre of a sprawling corruption scandal. Marcos announced the development in a video posted to his social media... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333708/marcos-orders-arrest-zaldy-co-17-others-flood-control-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333708/marcos-orders-arrest-zaldy-co-17-others-flood-control-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:54:30 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Plunder, corruption and bribery charges were recommended against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s cousin for his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal. The Department of Public Works and Highways sought these charges against former House speaker Martin Romualdez during a filing at the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday. The same charges were also recommended for resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, who was formerly head of the House of Representatives’ appropriations committee. Romualdez... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333632/marcos-cousin-faces-plunder-charges-philippine-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333632/marcos-cousin-faces-plunder-charges-philippine-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 04:31:41 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ deepening flood-control corruption scandal has now drawn in one of the country’s most influential religious groups, with a mass mobilisation by members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) church offering a revealing glimpse into the political fault lines reshaping Manila’s crisis. The two-day gathering, which began on Sunday and drew more than half a million INC members to the capital, was officially framed as a demand for transparency and accountability over billions of pesos... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333613/how-influential-philippine-church-flexing-its-political-muscle-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333613/how-influential-philippine-church-flexing-its-political-muscle-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 02:00:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Philippine prosecutors filed on Tuesday the first criminal charges in a sweeping corruption scandal over bogus flood control projects, promising “many” more indictments in the case that has prompted public ire and protests. Rage over so-called ghost infrastructure, believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, has been building for months, ever since President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr put the issue centre stage in a July address after weeks of deadly flooding. Scores of construction firm... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333274/philippine-flood-corruption-scandal-deepens-first-charges-over-ghost-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333274/philippine-flood-corruption-scandal-deepens-first-charges-over-ghost-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:10:25 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The new speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives has pledged to push through a long-stalled law banning political dynasties – despite hailing from one of the country’s most prominent clans and sharing the chamber with multiple relatives. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, elected speaker in September with near-unanimous support, told lawmakers on November 11 that he would prioritise legislation to finally implement the constitution’s ban on dynasties. Observers say the move could address public... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333121/philippine-speakers-anti-dynasty-push-just-lip-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333121/philippine-speakers-anti-dynasty-push-just-lip-service?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:26:32 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has appointed an ally to lead the nation’s independent anti-corruption watchdog, as his administration continues a clampdown on corruption in infrastructure projects. As ombudsman, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was “expected to uphold transparency, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and ensure that justice is administered fairly and efficiently,” Marcos’ communications office said in a statement on Tuesday. “There will be no sacred cows, no... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328116/philippines-marcos-names-ally-corruption-watchdog-post-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328116/philippines-marcos-names-ally-corruption-watchdog-post-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:36:22 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippines’ “biggest corruption scandal” in history continues to rivet Filipinos as whistle-blowers implicate a slew of top officials, with the unfolding saga threatening to drag even the president into its 545 billion peso (US$9.4 billion) embrace. On Thursday, Filipinos in Metro Manila – from taxi drivers to building lobby receptionists and security guards – were spotted with their mobile phones tuned in to the Senate’s eight-hour hearing on the so-called ghost flood projects. In one... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3326927/could-philippines-flood-control-corruption-scandal-engulf-president-marcos-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3326927/could-philippines-flood-control-corruption-scandal-engulf-president-marcos-too?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 03:36:27 +0000 Sam Beltran,Agencies Sam Beltran,Agencies Thousands of Filipinos gathered on Sunday in Manila to express their anger over a ballooning scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting in the Southeast Asian country since President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr put them centre stage in a July state of the nation address that followed weeks of deadly flooding. On Monday, Marcos said he did not blame people for protesting “one... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326284/philippine-flood-control-scandal-mass-protests-against-corruption-fury-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326284/philippine-flood-control-scandal-mass-protests-against-corruption-fury-mounts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 03:43:41 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Two contractors at the centre of the Philippines’ growing flood control scandal have named nearly 20 lawmakers and government officials they accuse of demanding kickbacks and offered to turn state witnesses, but legal experts say their alleged role in the scheme could undermine their plea for immunity. In sworn testimony presented to the Senate on Monday, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya – a married couple – claimed that corrupt politicians and Department of Public Works and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324904/philippine-flood-control-scandal-contractors-allege-lawmaker-payoffs-entrenched-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324904/philippine-flood-control-scandal-contractors-allege-lawmaker-payoffs-entrenched-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:42:32 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivered his shortest State of the Nation address (Sona) to date on Monday, as he mostly sidestepped foreign policy issues and used the occasion to launch a blistering attack on public infrastructure corruption. During the speech, which lasted an hour and 10 minutes, Marcos Jnr made no mention of China and referred to the United States only in passing. The focus on corruption and a lack of insight into external developments suggests a calculated bid by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319892/philippines-marcos-jnr-rails-against-corruption-state-nation-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319892/philippines-marcos-jnr-rails-against-corruption-state-nation-address?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:43:49 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles As Ferdinand Marcos Jnr touches down in Washington this weekend, his mind may well be half a world away, fixed not on the security and trade talks that await him but on the family feud back home: one born of betrayal, blind ambition and the wounds of history. The 67-year-old Philippine president – known to many as “Bongbong” – and his sister Senator Imee Marcos, 69, were once the very picture of sibling solidarity, but have now become estranged, their rift laid bare for all to see. Imee has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318796/marcos-vs-marcos-philippine-first-familys-bitter-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3318796/marcos-vs-marcos-philippine-first-familys-bitter-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 00:00:16 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The move by US President Donald Trump to impose a higher-than-expected tariff on the Philippines signals his unwavering determination to pressure Washington’s trade partners to do their part in reducing the US deficit in tandem with its intensifying rivalry with China, according to analysts. Trump announced on Wednesday that the tariff on Philippine exports to the US would be 20 per cent, above the 17 per cent that he had previously threatened to impose. He said Washington’s trade partners were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317765/philippines-urged-double-down-talks-over-20-tariff-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317765/philippines-urged-double-down-talks-over-20-tariff-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 14:24:45 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippines’ maritime dispute with China has spilled into the courts after a top coastguard official filed a cyber libel case against a pro-Beijing influencer over explosive – and, he claims, baseless – allegations that he is a paid asset of the United States. Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for Philippine Coast Guard operations in the West Philippine Sea, lodged a complaint on Friday at the Manila prosecutor’s office against Sass Rogando Sasot, a popular vlogger currently based in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317042/philippines-china-sea-dispute-moves-legal-battlefield-cyber-libel-suit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317042/philippines-china-sea-dispute-moves-legal-battlefield-cyber-libel-suit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 14:38:15 +0000