在2025年 11 月 18 日，菲律賓政壇再度掀起巨大震盪。前議員埃利薩爾迪公開指控總統小馬可仕與其表弟、眾議院議長馬丁·羅穆亞爾德斯，涉嫌在一項價值1000億比索的全國防洪工程中大規模貪污，挪用金額高達約250億比索，並且在長達一年多的時間裡，透過行李箱現金運送的方式將巨額款項直接送至兩人的私人住所。這項指控一出，立刻引發政界與社會強烈震撼。

根據埃利薩爾迪的說法，從2024年1月到2025年3月，他多次親自負責運送裝滿現金的行李箱，將回扣款項分別送抵小馬可仕與馬丁的住處。他聲稱擁有照片與送達紀錄作為佐證，並透露其中一次交易規模竟達37個行李箱，金額累計超過10億比索。而在他之前，另一名前海軍陸戰隊員古特薩也曾在2025年10月公開爆料，指稱自己在某次任務中被要求向馬丁住所運送46個行李箱，每一箱皆含4800萬比索現金，總額驚人，暗示整個工程可能涉及更深層、規模更龐大的利益網絡。

對於這些驚人的控訴，總統府迅速予以否認，強調指控毫無根據，並指稱埃利薩爾迪「捏造事實」。然而值得注意的是，面對連串質疑，小馬可仕本人並未立即公開回應此事。與此同時，菲律賓國內的政治風向也開始急速變化。馬科斯的支持率從2025年6月的42%一路下滑，到9月時僅剩33%，顯示醜聞持續侵蝕民意基礎，甚至讓多地爆發要求他下台的示威活動。相較之下，副總統莎拉·杜特蒂的支持率則保持在55%左右，使她成為政治動盪中最具實力的潛在繼任者。

這起事件並非孤立爆發，而是與近期一連串的政治指控交織。就在11月14日，另一名前議員扎迪·許指稱小馬可仕曾下令在2025年國家預算中「暗塞」高達1000億比索的工程項目，並在其意圖揭發後威脅他不得返回國內。馬科斯家族的歷史陰影也因而再度被提起：其父老馬可仕政權因大規模貪腐與人權問題而垮台，至今仍有未完全追繳的家族財富，使得外界普遍認為本次指控可能與家族長期的政治與財務爭議產生連結。

情勢在11月17日進一步升溫。扎迪·許再次出面補充指控，稱馬丁曾威脅要取他性命，並宣稱真正遭貪污的數字高達560億比索。然而，這些新說法目前尚未提出可供驗證的實質證據，使事件在輿論間呈現高度對立。儘管如此，菲律賓國內的民意仍持續發酵，愈來愈多民眾要求展開跨國調查，甚至有人擔心若小馬可仕最終下台，他可能會面臨國際刑事層級的清算壓力。

整起事件目前依然在快速演變中。雖然涉及的金額、時間線與陳述細節在各種指控中相互交叉，形成一個愈來愈複雜的權力與金流網路，但仍有部分說法欠缺獨立證實。政府堅稱指控純屬捏造，而指控者則持續追加細節並公開自身安全疑慮。雙方的對峙狀態尚未出現任何緩和跡象，後續調查結果、政壇權力變動以及全國性社會反應，都將可能深刻影響菲律賓未來的政治走向。

On November 18, 2025, political turbulence in the Philippines intensified after former congressman Elizaldi publicly accused President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of orchestrating massive corruption within a ₱100-billion national flood-control program. According to Elizaldi, the two men diverted roughly ₱25 billion in kickbacks and received the money through repeated deliveries of suitcases filled with cash—a system he claims operated for more than a year.

Elizaldi stated that between January 2024 and March 2025, he personally transported multiple batches of cash-packed luggage to the residences of both Marcos and Romualdez. He asserted that he possessed photographs, delivery logs, and other documentation to substantiate his claims. One delivery, he said, consisted of thirty-seven suitcases containing more than ₱1 billion in cash. His accusations echoed an earlier revelation made in October 2025 by former Marine Gutsa, who alleged he had been tasked with delivering forty-six suitcases to Romualdez’s home, each containing ₱48 million in cash. If true, these amounts would suggest a corruption scheme far larger and more systematic than previously suspected.

The president’s office swiftly dismissed the accusations as fabrications, insisting that Elizaldi was lying and attempting to create political chaos. However, President Marcos himself did not directly address the allegations, a silence that fueled further speculation. At the same time, public sentiment began shifting sharply. Marcos’ approval rating, which stood at 42 percent in June 2025, fell to 33 percent by September, coinciding with the first waves of protests demanding his resignation. In contrast, Vice President Sara Duterte maintained a stable 55 percent support rating, positioning her as a potential successor should the political crisis deepen.

This controversy sits within a broader pattern of escalating accusations against the administration. Only days earlier, on November 14, former lawmaker Zaddy Hsu alleged that Marcos had ordered the insertion of ₱100 billion worth of questionable projects into the 2025 national budget and had pressured him not to return to the Philippines after learning he intended to expose the scheme. These claims revived long-standing concerns about the Marcos family’s history, as the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. had fled the country amid one of the most notorious corruption scandals in Southeast Asia, leaving unresolved questions about hidden wealth and unrecovered assets.

The situation grew even more volatile on November 17, when Zaddy Hsu expanded his accusations, claiming that Martin Romualdez had threatened his life and asserting that the true amount illicitly siphoned from the flood-control program reached ₱56 billion. He did not provide new evidence for this larger figure, leaving the allegation unverified but adding fuel to an already explosive political atmosphere. Public discourse became increasingly polarized as citizens questioned whether the government or the whistleblowers were telling the truth. Many Filipinos began calling for an international investigation, while some observers warned that if President Marcos were forced from office, he might face legal action beyond national jurisdiction.

Although several elements of the story overlap across different testimonies, significant details—including exact amounts, dates, and documentation—remain unconfirmed. The government continues to firmly deny every claim, while the accusers insist that they are exposing a deeply entrenched system of graft. The confrontation between the two sides shows no sign of easing, and the unfolding investigations, mass protests, and political maneuvering are expected to play decisive roles in shaping the future of Philippine governance.