The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has ordered immigration authorities to bar Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and businessman Maynard Ngu from leaving the country while they are under investigation over alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
In a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) issued Monday, the anti-graft court directed the Bureau of Immigration to include Escudero and Ngu on its hold departure list, effectively preventing them from leaving the Philippines while the case is being pursued.
The Sixth Division, chaired by Associate Justice Sarah Fernandez, issued the order amid an ongoing investigation into alleged plunder, graft, and indirect bribery linked to the flood control controversy.
The travel restriction comes weeks after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said government prosecutors were preparing a plunder case against Escudero and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
A PHDO is not a conviction or a finding of guilt, but a preventive measure to ensure respondents remain in the country while legal proceedings or investigations are ongoing.