Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has not been linked by any evidence to alleged anomalous flood control projects, his spokespersons said Thursday, stressing that the accusations were inconsistent with how the national budget process operates.
In a statement sent to media, lawyer Elaine Atienza said despite Senate and House inquiries and other official investigations, no former or incumbent official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has identified Romualdez as having participated in the planning, procurement, implementation, inspection, payment or release of funds for any alleged ghost flood control project.
She added that even former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who had firsthand knowledge of the department’s operations, never implicated the Leyte lawmaker.
“Simple lang kung bakit (The reason is simple) — because Rep. Romualdez was not involved,” Atienza said.
She said the allegations fail to reflect how the national budget is crafted and implemented.
Atienza said the National Expenditure Program is prepared by the Executive branch through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and implementing agencies, including the DPWH, before it is submitted to Congress for deliberation by both the House of Representatives and Senate.
“No Speaker can dictate upon Cabinet secretaries. Neither can he dictate upon senators, who exercise their own independent constitutional mandate. Sila po ay pantay-pantay diyan (They are equals) being elected officials. Primus inter pares (first among equals),” she said.
She noted that once the budget becomes law, the Speaker has “absolutely no authority” over project bidding, contract awards, implementation, inspections, payments or the release of government funds.
According to Atienza, insisting that Romualdez was the alleged “mastermind” would require the public to believe that one person controlled every stage of the budget and infrastructure process.
“If there were irregularities in any infrastructure project, then those who actually exercised legal and operational authority should be identified and held accountable. Accountability must follow the evidence — not political convenience,” she said.
She said Romualdez was being portrayed as a “convenient excuse and political scapegoat” despite the absence of evidence linking him to the alleged anomalous projects.
“Sa paghahanap ng hustisya, hindi puwedeng mauna ang akusasyon bago ang ebidensya. Sa batas, ang ebidensya ang nagtuturo kung sino ang mananagot (In the quest for justice, accusations must not go first before evidence. Under the law, the evidence will show who will be accountable)” Atienza said.
‘Most Polluted Source’
Meanwhile, lawyer Ade Fajardo, another one of Romualdez’s spokespersons, said Bonoan is the one deeply involved in the flood control projects.
In a separate statement, he described the former DPWH secretary as the “most polluted,” “very biased” and “not the least guilty” source, and expressed surprise why the Office of the Ombudsman is accepting him as a state witness.
In fact, he said Bonoan should be made to return to the national treasury PHP1 billion in kickbacks from flood control projects he supposedly received as claimed by former DPWH undersecretary-turned-state witness Roberto Bernardo.
Fajardo said he was worried about the Ombudsman’s recent statements that it intends to use Bonoan’s testimony to prove the former House leader’s supposed involvement in flood control irregularities.
“It’s very alarming. Because even way before these events… ay hindi po nababangit si Cong. Martin Romualdez ni dating Sec. Manuel Bonoan (Bonoan has never mentioned Romuldez),” Fajardo said.
He said the former DPWH chief did not mention the former Speaker even in the statement Bonoan submitted to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure that investigated the flood control scam.
“Nakakabahala na isang taon na ang nakalipas at ngayon lang niya babanggitin for the first time para lang sabihin at ma-discharge siya, mabigyan siya ng immunity, hindi na siya makukulong dahil sasabihin lang niya ang magic words na Martin Romualdez (It is alarming that it has been a year after the flood control scandal erupted, it is only now that he mentioned Romualdez so that he can be discharged and given immunity. He won’t be jailed anymore because he will just say the magic word: Martin Romuladez),” he noted.
He said the former DPWH chief is “speculating or guessing” on the alleged role of Romualdez in the flood control scam to save his own skin.
He said the plan to link Romualdez to the flood control scandal is intended to give credibility to the claim that a “big fish” is involved, since the Leyte congressman is related to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“So, parang (it looks like) it’s a popular position to take: name someone supposedly or they think very close to the official family para lang magkaroon ng credibility ang sinasabi nilang ‘big fish’ (just to give credibility to their claim of a big fish),” he added.
In any case, he said Romualdez, as in the past, is ready to face whatever charges might be brought against him, even if there is no evidence against him.
Romualdez also has no plans to escape accountability, he said.
“Wala pong attempt, wala pong kaisipan ang ating former Speaker na tumakas po sa obligasyon o pananagutan kung meron (There is no attempt, not even a thought, by the former Speaker to avoid his obligations or accountability, if there is)… he has always maintained, there is no such anomalous transaction to back up the allegations against him,” Fajardo said. (PNA)