An incumbent House of Representatives member and a former lawmaker have agreed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s view that charges should only be filed against individuals when there is evidence pointing to their involvement in corruption.
In a statement on Friday, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said Marcos’ declaration is a welcome development since there have been a lot of accusations that have not been substantiated.
‘Accountability is not served when it is weaponized by selfish partisan interests and biases without factual proof or evidence. It is difficult. They got used to speculations and fake news,’ he noted.
‘The president has made it very clear: There is no evidence against former Speaker Romualdez. That should end all the manufactured blame and allow investigators to focus on the real anomalies that need answers,’ he added.
Marcos, in a press briefing on Thursday, was asked if former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez – his cousin – was part of the initial list of personalities who will be charged.
In response, Marcos said he did not think so, because there is not enough evidence that has been unearthed against the former speaker.
The president noted that while there are many suggestions on who else the government should file cases against, evidence must be presented first to support their claims.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, meanwhile, said that Marcos’ statements effectively ended the so-called ‘fall guy’ narrative.
Barbers was Romualdez’s former chief political officer and was the overall chairperson of the House quad committee during the 19th Congress, when Romualdez still headed the House.
‘With the president himself saying there is no evidence against former Speaker Romualdez, all scapegoating efforts collapse on their own. The fall guy narrative ends here,’ he said.
‘But of course, people would not stop to push for the former speaker’s inclusion into their narrative to blame him,’ he continued.
‘Now, the true work will start, because what the president said is clear – only truth and accountability should prevail,’ the lawmaker said.
‘The fight is evidence-based, not on mere speculations of individuals. Whatever allegation there is should be proven through clear and trustworthy evidence, not through hearsay or lies,’ he added.
On Thursday, House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said there appears to be not enough evidence to merit complaints against Romualdez.
Puno, in an online interview, said that lawyers approach the flood control mess with the mindset that complaints can be filed based on two grounds – malversation and plunder.
The House official explained that malversation points to the diversion of funds for a project, while plunder is conspiracy among involved personalities to steal public funds of at least P50 million.
However, Puno explained that evidence at hand would not implicate Romualdez as he was not a signatory of key flood control documents like the proposed budget or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
He said that accountability rests on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Puno also noted that testimonies made against Romualdez were questionable – referring to the statements made by Orly Regala Guteza who appeared before the Senate blue ribbon committee, claiming that he delivered luggage with money to Romualdez.
He pointed out that there were serious issues with Guteza’s testimony after a Manila court found his sworn statement as falsified, as notary public Petchie Rose Espera did not notarize the document and her signature and notarial details had been forged.
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V also said that Marcos’ statements should be a reminder that all investigations must be anchored on evidence and not mere speculation.
Romualdez has not been connected to any of the top companies doing the flood control projects, but he was one of the lawmakers named by contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya of allegedly receiving kickbacks from the projects.
Romualdez called out the Discaya couple’s claims, calling it ‘false, malicious and nothing more than name-dropping.’