Romualdez says he will 'not be turned into the scapegoat' in flood control mess
Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has rejected allegations that he's the mastermind behind the flood control corruption.
The Leyte 1st District Representative posted a video statement on April 21 addressing the issue after "choosing to remain silent."
"My silence has been abused and weaponized to build a narrative that is false, twisted, and unfair," he said.
Romualdez added that he has been cooperative and submitted his affidavit to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, which ended operations on March 31.
He further claimed that there's no evidence proving that he committed plunder, conspiracy to commit plunder, or any similar offense that, "the Ombudsman may be contemplating against [him]."
On Tuesday, Ombudsman Boying Remulla said that the congressman asked for permission to leave the country for a medical check-up in Singapore from April 20 to May 4. However, Remulla said that there's an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against Romualdez.
"How can I be the mastermind? I was the former Speaker of the House of Representatives," he said, adding that the national budget is not conceived, executed, implemented, bid out, supervised, and completed by Congress alone.
Later in the video, he mentioned former Senate President Chiz Escudero and resigned congressman Zaldy Co as "instrumental" in making decisions on the budget. Romualdez said that he was not a part of the BiCam and the Small Committee budget deliberations.
"I will defend myself fully. I will not allow myself to be turned into the scapegoat so that others who are actually accountable can walk away clean. If this is a political play to push me out and close the story, tarnishing my name and my reputation, then I'm telling everyone now, I will not go quietly and I will not go alone. I will not be the fall guy for other people's corruption," Romualdez said.
He also told the Ombudsman to follow the sworn statements, records, and evidence.
Remulla previously said he would file plunder cases against Romualdez and Escudero in May.
Meanwhile, on April 16, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Co has been arrested in Prague. According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the former representative will return to the Philippines in less than a month.