The Office of the Ombudsman is intensifying its investigation into alleged irregularities in Philippine flood-control projects, moving to rely on the testimonies of eight self-described bagmen and former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan as it prepares a case against former House speaker Martin Romualdez. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said investigators found the accounts of eight out of 18 former bodyguards of ex-congressman Zaldy Co to be “consistent and categorical” in describing supposed cash deliveries linked to Romualdez and Co.

Clavano told reporters that the ombudsman’s team assessed both the narrative details and the demeanor of the witnesses in interviews, concluding that only eight of the 18 have testimonies potentially strong enough to be used in a case. He said the probe has been slowed by delays in the signing of affidavits, blaming the witnesses’ lawyer, Levito Baligod, for seeking extensions beyond an original June 20 target date. The affidavits are a key step in formalizing the bodyguards’ statements for use in any future court action.

Romualdez’s legal camp, however, has pushed back hard against the direction of the investigation. Spokesman Elaine Atienza said that despite multiple Senate and House inquiries and other official probes, no current or former Department of Public Works and Highways official has identified Romualdez as having any role in planning, procurement, implementation, inspection, payment or fund release for alleged ghost projects. Atienza argued that even Bonoan, who has been tapped as a state witness and was directly involved in department operations, had never previously implicated the former speaker, and she stressed that no single official, including the House leader, controls the national budget process, which is drafted by the executive branch through the Department of Budget and Management and implementing agencies.

Defense lawyers, including Atienza and Ade Fajardo, suggested that the move to place Bonoan under the Witness Protection Program may indicate a lack of concrete evidence tying Romualdez to any anomalous flood-control contracts, warning that their client risks becoming a political scapegoat. The high-profile probe has also prompted political ripples within the administration coalition: Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco publicly challenged the Marcos government to prove that its anti-corruption campaign is impartial and will “spare no one,” including allies and relatives accused of exploiting close ties to those in power. Tiangco said those behind what he called the “biggest corruption scandal in our country's history” should be held to account and that any public funds proven to have been stolen must be recovered, framing the case as a test of the administration’s resolve to pursue graft cases even when they reach into its own ranks.

Pemerintah Provinsi Sumatera Utara memperketat langkah penertiban pertambangan emas tanpa izin (PETI) di Kabupaten Mandailing Natal, dengan fokus pada kawasan Sungai Batang Gadis di sekitar Muara Mais dan wilayah Kotanopan. Operasi terbaru dilakukan sebagai tindak lanjut arahan tegas Gubernur Sumut Bobby Nasution, di tengah sorotan publik dan media sosial terhadap masih berlanjutnya aktivitas tambang ilegal di daerah tersebut. Pemprov menegaskan penindakan ini menjadi bagian dari komitmen untuk menegakkan hukum sekaligus melindungi lingkungan.

Penertiban dijalankan melalui tim terpadu yang melibatkan Dinas Perindustrian, Perdagangan, Energi, dan Sumber Daya Mineral Sumut, Dinas Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan, Satpol PP, Pemerintah Kabupaten Mandailing Natal, serta berbagai instansi terkait. Di Kotanopan, petugas masih menemukan aktivitas PETI menggunakan alat berat di sejumlah titik, yang dikaitkan dengan pemilik berinisial GD dan PW. Terhadap aktivitas yang masih beroperasi, tim melakukan penghentian langsung di lokasi sesuai kewenangan dan ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan yang berlaku.

Di kawasan Sungai Batang Gadis sekitar Muara Mais, Kepala Dinas Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Provinsi Sumut, Heri Wahyudi Marpaung, menyatakan tim terpadu sempat dihadapkan pada situasi di mana para pelaku PETI melarikan diri setelah mengetahui kedatangan petugas, menyeberangi sungai menuju kawasan hutan. Meski demikian, aparat berhasil mengamankan sejumlah barang bukti dan menemukan beragam peralatan yang digunakan untuk mendukung aktivitas penambangan emas ilegal. Kepala Dinas Perindustrian, Perdagangan, Energi, dan Sumber Daya Mineral Sumut, Dedi Jamiansyah Putra Harahap, menambahkan bahwa peralatan di lokasi juga dihancurkan sebagai bagian dari penegakan hukum, di samping penyitaan barang bukti untuk proses lebih lanjut.

Laporan lapangan menunjukkan kerusakan lingkungan yang cukup serius di sepanjang bantaran Sungai Batang Gadis dan area sekitar PETI lainnya. Pengerukan intensif mengubah bentang alam dan morfologi sungai, merusak daerah aliran sungai, serta mengikis tanah hingga mendekati badan Jalan Lintas Sumatera. Kondisi ini dinilai meningkatkan risiko bencana banjir dan longsor yang dapat mengancam keselamatan masyarakat serta mengganggu infrastruktur jalan nasional. Di sisi lain, hilangnya vegetasi, terbentuknya lubang-lubang bekas galian, dan potensi penurunan kualitas air sungai menambah daftar tantangan pemulihan ekosistem yang kini menjadi agenda lanjutan pemerintah daerah.