LIVE: Office of the Ombudsman holds press briefing | July 17, 2026

The Office of the Ombudsman lays down the facts on impending corruption and Plunder charges targeting numerous prominent lawmakers and cabinet members in the Philippines. Assistant Ombudsman Miko Clavano, along with officials from the agency, confirmed that a Plunder case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez regarding the controversial Flood Control Scandal is moving exceptionally close to the preliminary investigation (PI) stage. The Ombudsman is actively taking strides to reprimand solon-contractors violating Republic Act No. 3019 for Conflict of Interest. Representatives allegedly embroiled in simultaneous legislative-contractor functions, including Pampanga's Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales, Uswag Rep. Jojo Ang, Rep. Maria Christina Angeles, and Rep. Edwin Guardiola face heightened scrutiny. Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla appears to have ignored ombudsman summons for his Obstruction of Justice cases. Additional active "fact-finding" phases involve ongoing probes touching on Sens. Chiz Escudero and Joel Villanueva, figures in the "Bicam" files, former Sec. Ted Herbosa, DBM Sec. Amenah Pangandaman, and the scheduled re-opening of possible irregularities inside the 2019 SEA Games organized by Vince Dizon. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro: Cases Against Solon-Contractors With Conflict Of Interest 01:54 - Obstruction Probes: Sen. Padilla Ignores Ombudsman Order, APC Complies 07:05 - Reclaiming "Taxpayers' Money": Lawmakers Caught Acting as Contractors 11:36 - Looming Plunder Preliminary Investigation Against Ex-Speaker Martin Romualdez 15:16 - Clarifying Flood Scandal ties of Sec. Amenah Pangandaman and Ted Herbosa 16:40 - The Pres. Marcos Anti-Corruption Mandate: Reversing Years of Red Tape 20:28 - Nearing Final Plunder Case Hurdles Amid Extensively Financed Legal Teams 22:58 - Push for Access on Crucial House "Bicam Files" and A.I. use in Investigations 25:54 - Current Case Reviews Against Sen. Chiz Escudero, Sen. Joel Villanueva, & Contractors 28:40 - Re-evaluating possible Corruption files inside the 2019 SEA games 31:49 - A.O. Miko Clavano distinguishes Fact-Finding from a Preliminary Investigation Subscribe to iWant to watch ANC live and on-demand: https://www.iwanttfc.com For more ANC Interviews, click the link below:    • ANC Interviews   For more The World Tonight videos, click the link below:    • The World Tonight   For more ANC Highlights videos, click the link below:    • Highlights - ANC   Subscribe to the ANC YouTube channel!    / ancalerts   Visit our website at https://news.abs-cbn.com/anc Facebook:   / ancalerts   Twitter:   / ancalerts   #Ombudsman #BoyingRemulla #PressBriefing #ANCNews #ancalerts #MartinRomualdez #RobinPadilla #AlanPeterCayetano #MikoClavano #BoyingRemulla #AntiGraft