MANILA (October 4 — Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero is once again in the spotlight after a private lawyer filed an ethics complaint against him over a P30-million campaign donation from a government contractor during the 2022 elections.
Lawyer Marvin Aceron lodged the 21-page complaint before the Senate Committee on Ethics, chaired by Sen. JV Ejercito. Aceron alleged that contractor Lawrence Lubiano, owner of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., gave Escudero the donation and later benefited from a surge of government projects in Sorsogon, Escudero’s home province.
From 2021 to 2025, Centerways reportedly bagged 112 contracts worth P16.67 billion in the province’s two districts. Before the donation, the firm had only 12 contracts worth P720 million. Aceron said the timing and scale of these projects “underscore the appearance of impropriety” and cast doubt on the independence of public procurement.
Lubiano also controls Metroways Health Care and Medical System Inc., another firm that won government contracts in Bicol, further fueling suspicions of political favoritism.
The complaint cites six grounds, including conduct unbecoming of a senator, conflict of interest, possible violations of the Omnibus Election Code, and irregularities in procurement and financial disclosures.
Escudero quickly dismissed the case as a political maneuver, pointing again to former House Speaker Martin Romualdez as the hand behind the filing.
“This is just part of the harassment from his minions. This isn’t about ethics. This is political retribution… a desperate smokescreen,” Escudero said, without addressing the specifics of Aceron’s claims.
The feud between Escudero and Romualdez has been simmering since the 2022 elections.
Escudero, who briefly served as Senate president, has accused Romualdez of corruption, particularly in relation to the controversial flood control program where billions of pesos are suspected to have been lost to kickbacks. Romualdez, for his part, has painted Escudero as following the script of pro-Duterte factions, whom the House leader has also clashed with.
The ethics complaint now adds to Escudero’s political troubles at a time when the Senate is under pressure to address issues of integrity and transparency. If the panel finds merit, the case could lead to penalties ranging from censure to suspension.
