Romualdez: I will not be the fall guy

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MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte) broke his relative silence on the flood control controversy Tuesday, April 21, denying allegations that he masterminded a corruption scheme and warning that he would not allow himself to be made the “fall guy.”

“I will not allow myself to be turned into the scapegoat so that others who are actually accountable can walk away clean,” Romualdez, the former House speaker, said in a video statement.

“If this is a political play to push me out and close the story, tarnishing my name and my reputation, then I'm telling everyone now, I will not go quietly and I will not go alone. I will not be the fall guy for other people's corruption,” he added.

The statement came as the Office of the Ombudsman asked the Sandiganbayan to issue a precautionary hold departure order against Romualdez to prevent him from traveling overseas. The request was raffled to the Sandiganbayan Seventh Division on Tuesday.

The congressman is under investigation over allegations including plunder, bribery, graft and money laundering linked to flood control projects.

The Ombudsman’s application cited allegations that the kickback scheme tied to flood control projects was allegedly masterminded by Romualdez and involved about P56 billion.

The Ombudsman said it sought the order to prevent Romualdez from leaving the country and potentially evading proceedings.

'Follow the evidence'

Romualdez denied committing plunder, conspiracy to commit plunder or any similar offense. He said he had cooperated with authorities, appeared before the proper bodies and submitted an affidavit to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

“And because I have nothing to hide, I am today authorizing the immediate public release of the affidavit I submitted, together with all supporting information so that the Filipino people can judge for themselves who has been transparent and who is simply being politically targeted,” Romualdez said.

He rejected the claim that he controlled the national budget process as former speaker, saying the budget begins with the executive branch, passes through the House and Senate, goes through bicameral conference proceedings and is then submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, his first cousin.

“The national budget is not the act of one person or one chamber. It is a product of a constitutional chain involving the executive, the House, and the Senate,” he said.

Romualdez argued that any corruption in flood control projects would have occurred at the level of implementation, procurement, inspection and disbursement, not merely during legislative approval.

“Congress does not build flood control projects. Congress does not conduct procurement. Congress does not inspect whether our project was actually completed,” he said.

Travel issue

The Ombudsman’s move followed reports that Romualdez had been cleared by House Speaker Faustino Dy III to travel to Singapore for a health procedure from April 20 to May 4 for a medical procedure.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, however, said he did not favorably act on a request to allow Romualdez to leave, citing the investigation and the risk that he might not return.

There were no pending criminal charges against Romualdez as of Tuesday.

Romualdez, in his statement, urged the Ombudsman to pursue all sworn statements and records, not just allegations against him.

“If your office truly believes in justice, then follow the sworn statements. Follow the records and follow the evidence all the way,” he said.