Ombudsman Probes Camarines Sur Rep. Fuentebella and DPWH Engineers Over ₱84M Flood Control Projects That Collapsed

# Ombudsman Probes Camarines Sur Rep. Fuentebella and DPWH Engineers Over ₱84M Flood Control Projects That Collapsed **Camarines Sur 4th District Representative Arnulf Bryan Fuentebella and two Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineers are facing anti-graft and malversation complaints before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon, after two publicly funded flood control projects in his district — worth a combined ₱84 million — were reportedly completed on paper and fully paid for, but collapsed during a typhoon in 2025.** The complaint, reported by Philstar and BusinessMirror in mid-May 2026, asks the anti-graft body to investigate and file criminal charges against Fuentebella, his DPWH counterparts, and the private contractors who built the failed structures. ## What the Projects Were — and What Happened to Them According to the complaint filed with the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon, two separate DPWH projects in Camarines Sur's 4th district were the subject of the complaint: - A **₱37.2-million flood control structure along the Sagñay River** in the town of Sagñay — a 60-meter section of which collapsed - A **₱46.98-million flood mitigation project** spanning Barangays 1 to 4 in the town of Garchitorena — described in the complaint as a 743-meter seawall stretch that was "washed out entirely" Both projects were reportedly certified as completed and fully paid by the time they failed. The Sagñay structures collapsed during a typhoon in 2025 — meaning public funds were disbursed for infrastructure that provided no flood protection when it was actually needed. ## Who Is Named The respondents named in the complaint, according to Philstar and GMA News Online, are: - **Rep. Arnulf Bryan Fuentebella** (Camarines Sur, 4th District) - **DPWH District Engineer Gemma Timbang** (incumbent at the time of the projects) - **Nestor Gorimabao** (Timbang's predecessor as DPWH district engineer) - **Alfonso Rivero**, president of A.C. Rivero Development Corp. (contractor) - **Abner Ferrer**, owner-president of Partido Construction & Supply (contractor) ## The Charges Being Sought The complaint asks the Ombudsman to probe the respondents for violations of: - **Republic Act 3019** (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) - **Republic Act 9184** (Government Procurement Reform Act) - **Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code** (Malversation of Public Funds) The complainant also asked the Ombudsman to issue a preventive suspension order against Fuentebella and to conduct a lifestyle check, according to Police Files Tonite, which first reported on the preventive suspension angle. As of the time of this report, the Ombudsman has not publicly announced whether it has formally opened an investigation or issued orders arising from this specific complaint. ## Part of a Broader Pattern The Fuentebella case is part of a sweeping national reckoning over DPWH flood control projects that has been building since mid-2025. The Commission on Audit (COA) submitted fraud audit reports to the Ombudsman in September 2025 identifying four flood control projects in Bulacan — collectively worth ₱389.6 million — as potentially fraudulent. The Ombudsman has since issued preventive suspensions against 16 DPWH personnel connected to separate flood control anomalies. The Senate also transmitted to the Ombudsman a committee report on the flood control mess, according to the Manila Tribune (May 12, 2026), recommending that charges be filed against implicated officials and contractors nationwide. The DPWH itself said it would continue pursuing cases against erring officials, according to the Manila Bulletin (March 2026), but critics have noted that accountability actions have so far focused on lower-ranking engineers rather than legislators who inserted projects into the budget through the congressional allocation process. ## Fuentebella's Response As of the publication of this article, there is no reported public statement from Representative Fuentebella responding to the complaint or denying the allegations. Pulpulitiko has not received a statement from his office. ## Context The Philippines' flood control scandal has exposed a systemic vulnerability in how infrastructure projects are allocated, overseen, and certified. Projects funded through legislators' district-level budget insertions are typically supervised by DPWH district offices that report up a chain that includes both the department secretary and the congressman whose constituents benefit — or suffer — from the outcome. The Camarines Sur complaint illustrates the core accountability gap: both the legislator who championed the project and the DPWH engineers who signed off on completion were in a position to benefit from or overlook substandard work. Taxpayers paid ₱84 million for infrastructure that collapsed before it could protect a single household from flooding. --- **Sources:** - [Camarines Sur lawmaker faces raps over flood control projects — Philstar](https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/05/11/2527106/camarines-sur-lawmaker-faces-raps-over-flood-control-projects) - [Ombudsman probes legislator, DPWH district engineers for substandard flood control projects — BusinessMirror](https://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/05/13/ombudsman-probes-legislator-dpwh-district-engineers-for-substandard-flood-control-projects/) - [Complaint filed vs 2 CamSur flood control projects — GMA News Online](https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/987121/complaint-filed-vs-2-camsur-flood-control-projects/story/) - [Sabit sa P84m flood control project… SUSPENSYON NI CONG. FUENTEBELLA HILING SA OMBUDSMAN — Police Files Tonite](https://www.policefilestonite.net/2026/05/05/sabit-sa-p84m-flood-control-project-suspensyon-ni-cong-fuentebella-hiling-sa-ombudsman/) - [Ombudsman Receives Senate Report Urging Charges in Alleged Flood Control Corruption Mess — Manila Tribune](https://tribune.net.ph/2026/05/12/ombudsman-receives-senate-report-on-flood-control-mess) - [DPWH to pursue more cases vs officials over anomalous flood control projects — Manila Bulletin](https://mb.com.ph/2026/03/14/dpwh-to-pursue-more-cases-vs-officials-over-anomalous-flood-control-projects) - [Ombudsman issues preventive suspension against 16 DPWH personnel — Office of the Ombudsman / PNA](https://www.ombudsman.gov.ph/ombudsman-issues-preventive-suspension-against-16-dpwh-personnel/) - [Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_projects_scandal_in_the_Philippines)