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.
