Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has urged the Office of the Ombudsman not to single him out in the ongoing flood control corruption controversy, saying investigators should follow all leads rather than focus on him amid what he described as “politically engineered and fabricated narratives.”
In a video statement, Romualdez said he was breaking his silence due to what he called selective targeting in the investigation into alleged anomalous infrastructure deals.
“Accountability cannot be selective,” he said, adding that if there are sworn statements implicating other individuals involved in budget deliberations or project implementation, those should also be investigated with equal seriousness.
Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has been linked to the widening flood control scandal that has drawn public outrage over alleged misuse of funds intended for infrastructure projects.
He said he understands public anger over corruption allegations, stressing that “stolen public funds are taxes derived from hard-earned money.”
“I’m not asking the public to look away. I’m asking everyone to look where the evidence points, not where it is politically convenient or politically motivated,” he said.
The former House Speaker, who resigned in September following a leadership shakeup tied to the controversy, rejected suggestions that he should be made a scapegoat.
“I will not allow myself to be turned into the scapegoat so that others who are actually accountable can walk away clean,” he said.
He also warned that he would not remain silent if the allegations were being used as part of a political strategy against him.
“If this is a political play to push me out and close the story, tarnishing my name and my reputation, then I am telling everyone now: I will not go quietly, and I will not go alone,” he said.
The Philippine budget process involves the executive branch proposing spending priorities, while Congress reviews and adjusts allocations under its constitutional “power of the purse.”
