Philippine lawmaker pleads not guilty to taking kickbacks in flood control projects

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine lawmaker and former speaker of the House of Representatives pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges alleging he pocketed millions of dollars in kickbacks from flood control projects, his lawyer said.

Rep. Martin Romualdez, a cousin and former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is among several powerful legislators accused of pocketing huge kickbacks. Nearly 10,000 flood control projects worth more than $9 billion that were supposed to have been undertaken since Marcos took office in mid-2022 have come under scrutiny. Many were found to be substandard, overpriced or not built at all.

Flooding and landslides from the seasonal monsoon and typhoons cause considerable damage and casualties in the Southeast Asian country.

Romualdez was arrested last week in a hospital and is facing plunder charges at the anti-graft Sandiganbayan court along with three others. Plunder is a nonbailable offense.

He has since been moved to a jail in Quezon City in metropolitan Manila. The court granted his motion to be arraigned via video conference from the jail facility.

“Congressman Romualdez’s arraignment took place this morning and he entered a plea of not guilty,” his lawyer Ade Fajardo said. “He is maintaining his innocence.”

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, whose office filed the charges, said more cases will be filed against Romualdez and others, including plunder and money laundering.

He told a news conference last week that the case against Romualdez and the three co-defendants involves 7.4 billion pesos ($118 million) used in various transactions. He said so much money was stolen that they tried to hide it by buying several houses, and even donating $1 million to Harvard University.

Another top official indicted by the anti-graft court is former Rep. Zaldy Co, who used to head the House appropriations committee and is now considered a fugitive after fleeing to Europe. An incumbent senator, a former senator and several ex-government engineers and public works officials as well as wealthy construction executives have been detained while facing trial on corruption charges.

Marcos had described the alleged scale of corruption as “horrible” and had established an independent commission, which has since been disbanded, to investigate. The Senate Blue Ribbon committee also earlier conducted a number of hearings on the flood control controversy.

Philippines former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, second right, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., waits for the start of his arraignment via video conference at the Quezon City Jail in Quezon, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

Philippines former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., waits for the start of his arraignment via video conference at the Quezon City Jail in Quezon, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

Philippines former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, center, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., watches the screen as he waits for the start of his arraignment via video conference at the Quezon City Jail in Quezon, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

Philippines former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, right, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., waits for the start of his arraignment via video conference at the Quezon City Jail in Quezon, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

Philippines former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., waits for the start of his arraignment via video conference at the Quezon City Jail in Quezon, Philippines, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, made his first public appearance in more than a year on Wednesday, when he attended a pretrial hearing at the court in The Hague.

The 81-year old is accused of murder and attempted murder for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs while in office, first as the mayor of a southern city in the Philippines and later as president. He denies the charges against him.

He has missed a series of hearings since his arrest in 2025. Medical reasons were cited for his absence but the court’s judges ruled in January that he was healthy enough to stand trial.

The presiding judge in his case told Duterte’s legal team during an earlier hearing that she wanted the ex-leader to attend Wednesday’s session.

“We would expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless there’s some medical issue,” Judge Joanna Korner said during the June pretrial hearing.

Wednesday's hearing is to discuss evidence disclosure and come up with a timetable for the trial, which is due to open in November.

Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and was set to appear in court in The Hague in September last year. However, the hearing was delayed after a pretrial panel of judges granted a “limited postponement” to give the court time to determine whether Duterte was fit enough to take part in the proceedings.

Following an assessment by a panel of medical experts, judges ruled that Duterte is “fit to take part in the pretrial proceedings.”

The ICC has been looking into mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte since 2018. Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

According to the prosecutors, police and government hit squads carried out dozens of killings at Duterte’s orders, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

A month after the court in February 2018 announced a preliminary investigation into the violent drug crackdowns, Duterte said the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC.

Last year, judges rejected a request from Duterte’s legal team to throw out the case because of the Philippine withdrawal. Countries cannot “abuse” their right to withdraw from the court’s foundational Rome Statute “by shielding persons from justice in relation to alleged crimes that are already under consideration,” the decision says.

Earlier this year, an attempt by authorities to arrest another man wanted by the ICC in connection with the drug killings dissolved into gunfire in the Philippine Senate in May. No one was hurt. The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who served as national police chief under Duterte. Dela Rosa went into hiding following the Senate standoff and remains on the run.

Two months later, the Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. If convicted of the charges, which include amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening the family of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she may be permanently disqualified from holding public office. She denies the charges.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool Photo via AP)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool Photo via AP)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte takes oath during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate, on Oct. 28, 2024, in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)