Philippine Congress Speaker, a relative of Marcos Jr, resigns amid investigation into allegedly fraudulent flood control projects
House Speaker Martin Romualdez Resigns Amid Corruption Scandal
In a surprising turn of events, House Speaker Martin Romualdez has resigned from his position amidst a corruption scandal involving alleged budget insertions for infrastructure projects. Romualdez, a close ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the representative of Leyte's First District, stepped down from his post in January.
The controversy began when contractor-couple Pacifico "Curlee" Discaya and Cezarah "Sarah" Discaya accused several House lawmakers, including Romualdez, of taking bribes from public funds for these infrastructure projects. However, it's important to note that Romualdez has not been directly linked to any contractor in this matter.
At a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing last Monday, Curlee Discaya claimed that lawmakers demanded kickbacks. No specific allegations have been provided against Romualdez, and he has not faced any direct accusations from the Discaya couple.
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno confirmed Romualdez's resignation in a dzMM interview, stating that the discussion of Romualdez's resignation had been ongoing "weeks ago." Romualdez has expressed his intention to focus on clearing his name.
Congressman Paolo Ortega stated that Romualdez will meet with political party leaders to address the issue. As of now, no specific party leaders have been officially proposed as the new Speaker of the House following Martin Romualdez's resignation.
The cases involve alleged P241 billion worth of "insertions" in the 2025 national budget. President Marcos Jr has stated that no one will be exempted, including his relatives and allies, in the government's probe into the misuse of public funds for these projects.
Romualdez surrendered his speakership in the 313-member House. This resignation comes amid a corruption crackdown on flood control projects by the Marcos administration.
In February, 12 counts of falsification of legislative documents and 12 counts of graft were filed against Romualdez and others before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Romualdez has suggested House Deputy Speaker and Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino "Bojie" Dy III as his potential replacement. It remains to be seen how this development will unfold in the House of Representatives.
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