A Philippine lawmaker, Rep. Martin Romualdez, has denied allegations that he received millions of dollars in kickbacks related to flood control projects. Romualdez, a cousin and former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was arrested last week and is now facing charges of plunder, a serious crime that carries no bail option. His lawyer, Ade Fajardo, said Romualdez entered a plea of not guilty during a video arraignment from a jail in Quezon City, maintaining his innocence. He is being tried at the Sandiganbayan court, a special anti-graft court in the Philippines. The allegations involve nearly 10,000 flood control projects worth over $9 billion that were supposed to be implemented since Marcos took office in mid-2022. However, many of these projects have been found to be of poor quality, overpriced, or not built at all. Flooding and landslides caused by seasonal monsoons and typhoons frequently damage infrastructure and cause casualties across the Southeast Asian nation. The Ombudsman’s office, which filed the charges, claims that 7.4 billion pesos (about $118 million) was improperly used in various transactions. Officials reportedly tried to conceal the stolen funds by purchasing multiple properties and even donating $1 million to Harvard University. Other high-profile individuals have also been implicated in the corruption scandal. Former Rep. Zaldy Co, who once chaired the House appropriations committee, is now a fugitive after fleeing to Europe. Meanwhile, an incumbent senator, a former senator, and several ex-government engineers and public works officials, as well as wealthy construction executives, are currently under detention or facing trial for corruption. President Marcos described the alleged scale of corruption as “horrible” and had established an independent commission to investigate, though the commission has since been disbanded. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has also held several hearings on the flood control controversy, highlighting concerns over mismanagement and misuse of public funds. As the legal proceedings continue, the case against Romualdez and others remains a significant point of scrutiny in the Philippines’ ongoing anti-corruption efforts.