The Sandiganbayan has started conducting a hearing for the petition by the Office of the Ombudsman to issue a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

The hearing was held on Monday morning by the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division where the PHDO petition against the foreign travel of Escudero and Maynard Ngu was raffled off on Saturday.

A PHDO is an order issued by a court to the Bureau of Immigration to prevent a person from leaving the country pending the conclusion of the case/level leveled against him/her.

The order is issued typically for crimes with more than six years imprisonment as penalty, and this was used in the case against Escudero and Ngu who are both facing charges of plunder and graft over the flood control controversy.

During the hearing, the justices politely asked the media to leave the courtroom as they emphasized that the legal proceeding is confidential.

“This is not yet a trial, but a preliminary hearing which is confidential at this point,” said Sara Fernandez, head of the Sandiganbayan’s 6th Division, adding that the court deemed it proper to exercise prudence on the matter.

She, however, assured that any resolution on the PHDO proceedings will be made public.

The Sandiganbayan earlier issued a PHDO against former House speaker Martin Romualdez, also for cases relating to the flood control controversy.

In a video message released on April 21, Romualdez named Navotas City lone district Rep. Toby Tiangco, former Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and Escudero as the ones behind the alleged corruption related to the 2025 national budge and debunked claims that he was the mastermind.

"The House is not one person, and it is certainly not the Speaker alone. It is a collegial body made up of hundreds of members, multiple committees, vice chairs, and institutional processes," said Romualdez, who served as Speaker during entirety of the 19th Congress from 2022 to 2025, and the first few months of the 20th Congress in 2025.

"In fact, there are around 85 committees, each with its own jurisdiction, leadership, and members. No Speaker can personally control every committee, much less direct the actions of other branches or government agencies," he said.

"So, I have to ask: if there were real concerns about irregularities in the budget process, why were these not formally raised during deliberations, or even during the plenary?" Romualdez said.

As for Co and Escudero, the ex-Speaker described the two as "instrumental" in making decisions regarding the budget measure.

Co was chairman of the appropriations panel during the 19th Congress; while Escudero as Senate President, headed the Senate contingent to Bicameral Conference Committee (bicam) meeting on the 2025 GAB.

Romualdez said he had no such level of participation in the budget process.

"I was not privy to what exactly transpired during the deliberations. However, two people were instrumental in making those budget decisions: Chiz Escudero and Zaldy Co," he said.

"As I already mentioned, corruption of this scale is not a one-man operation. It requires two things: budget decisions and implementation on the ground. With respect to how the budget was deliberated in Congress, let me say this categorically: I was not a part of the bicam and the small committee budget deliberations," the veteran solon from Leyte said.

"Yes, I was updated on the general outcomes of the deliberations, but I had no visibility with regard to the specific details of the discussions, including the particular amendments or insertions approved during these closed-door deliberations. Records would show that I did not participate in those meetings," explained Romualdez.

Escudero strongly denied the allegations, saying that there was a “well-orchestrated plan to attack the Senate.” (With Ellson Quismorio)