Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday, October 14, appeared before his cousin President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fact-finding anti-corruption body, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
Romualdez, who has been implicated in alleged kickback schemes together with resigned House lawmaker Zaldy Co, said he was ready to cooperate with the ICI.
Upon arriving at the ICI, Romualdez thanked the body for the invitation but clarified that he was not a member of the bicameral conference committee, where most of the alleged budget insertions for kickbacks were believed to have occurred.
‘I will share any information to help determine the truth and to give all the facts and information. I will be here to help in any way to speed up the resolution of the fact-finding investigation of the ICI,’ Romualdez told reporters.
In a separate statement, Romualdez said he wanted to help establish the truth about the corruption issue.
‘At the end of the day, it is evidence – not political noise or unfounded accusations – that will reveal what really happened. My presence here reflects my commitment to state the truth and not allow politics to prevail,’ Romualdez said.
Romualdez was first implicated in the corruption controversy when several House lawmakers allegedly name-dropped him while collecting kickback money, according to the testimony of the Discaya couple.
However, the contractor duo admitted that they never directly dealt with Romualdez.
It was Co’s self-described former security aide, Orly Guteza, who first directly accused Romualdez of corruption. Guteza alleged that he delivered 35 suitcases of money to Romualdez – a claim that the Leyte representative denied.
Guteza’s statement later came into question when the lawyer who reportedly notarized his affidavit disowned it, denying ever having signed the document.