Graft investigation progression leads to top Philippine official's resignation from position
In a series of dramatic events, Martin Romualdez, the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, tendered his resignation on Wednesday, amidst a mounting corruption scandal surrounding certain infrastructure projects. This follows less than two weeks after the resignation of Senate President Francis Escudero, who was replaced by Vicente Sotto III amidst ongoing investigations into the flood control scandal.
Romualdez's resignation comes as the issues surrounding certain infrastructure projects have been intensifying public anger since they were put centre stage in a July state of the nation address. The controversies have been dubbed the "Trillion Peso March" by Greenpeace, in reference to their estimate of funds allegedly bilked from climate-related projects.
Romualdez, a cousin of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, raised questions about these infrastructure projects in a speech at the House of Representatives. In a morning interview with local radio, Congressman Ronaldo Puno revealed that Romualdez, a close ally, had told lawmakers the controversy was "too much" and that he planned to "step aside to face these allegations."
The search results do not provide information on who leads the investigation commission reviewing the last ten years of flood control projects in the Philippines. However, President Marcos recently announced that former Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes would head a three-person commission tasked with looking into the past 10 years of flood control projects.
Meanwhile, Escudero, who has been linked to one of the country's top flood control project contractors, called the linking of his name to the contractor a "demolition job" aimed at removing him from the Senate's top post. The Philippines has a long history of scandals involving public funds, in which high-ranking politicians found guilty of corruption have typically escaped serious jail time.
Thousands are expected to turn out in Manila on Sunday for a "Trillion Peso March", a protest against allegedly bilked funds from climate-related projects since 2023. The state of the nation address followed weeks of deadly flooding, adding to the public's frustration and demand for accountability.
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