Flood Control Mess: Romualdez ready to face preliminary probe, says lawyer

MANILA, Philippines – Former Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez is prepared to participate in the Office of the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation into allegations linking him to the flood control controversy, his legal counsel said Sunday.

According to Atty. Ade Fajardo, Romualdez will respond to every allegation and expects the proceedings to be conducted fairly.

We are preparing for the preliminary investigation and Congressman Romualdez will answer that,” Fajardo said in a dzMM interview, as quoted by Romualdez’s office in a statement.

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“He is ready to face all of these allegations. But it has to be done through due process. That has always been our position, that we be given a level playing field, so to speak, in these proceedings,” he added.

He underscored that Romualdez has no plans to leave the country, maintaining that the former speaker continues to perform his duties as representative of Leyte’s first district.

“Congressman Romualdez is not fleeing. He has remained in the country, attending to his constituents and, of course, fulfilling his legislative duties as the representative of Leyte,”

Meanwhile, Fajardo reiterated that there is no evidence against Romualdez as he was not involved in the enactment of the 2025 national budget, except to sign it, and in the implementation of flood control projects.

He emphasized that this lack of proof is among the findings of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI).

Meanwhile, regarding the Ombudsman’s supposed plan to use some of the testimonies of the 18 ‘maleta boys’ who claim to be former bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, Fajardo also maintained that these were “not credible.”

“Our initial reaction is the same as what we’ve been saying all along: We do not find the claims of this so-called ‘maleta boy’ believable. They simply lack credibility.” he maintained.

“From the very beginning—even back in February when they first came forward—the Ombudsman himself said at the time that their statements appeared to have been calculated to destabilize,” he also said.

He also cited the fact that the Department of Justice itself has already filed charges for perjury against the 18 individuals.

“Everything they said was a lie, and that has now been proven. The Department of Justice itself, in response to the complaints filed by many of those they accused, has charged them with perjury. Simply put, that means they lied in a sworn statement,” Fajardo pointed out.

The lawyer also questioned why Romualdez is being singled out when the “maleta boys” named more than 20 lawmakers in their testimony.

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