Romualdez Ready To Face Ombudsman Probe
Former House speaker Martin Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, said his client is ready to face the process, “but there is really no evidence that could pin him down in connection with the flood control anomalies.”
The camp of former speaker Martin Romualdez served notice on Sunday, July 19, that they are ready to face any complaint Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla may file against him with regard to the flood control anomaly.
“Former speaker Romualdez is ready to face the process. But there is really no evidence that could pin him down in connection with the flood control anomalies. There is no preliminary investigation yet, the case is still under case buildup status now,” Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, said.
The statement was issued following Remulla’s pronouncement last week that his office is “very close” to finishing its probe of the first cousin of President Marcos, who headed the House of Representatives from 2022 to 2025.
Fajardo insisted the former House leader had no participation in flood control project funding and implementation. “Actually, it’s very simple. If you have no participation, then of course we can anticipate that there would be no evidence,” the lawyer said.
He said the changing testimonies of the so-called bodyguards of a fugitive lawmaker are not credible. “How could you trust and believe their testimonies when they, in fact, have been flip-flopping and changing their stories every time? They’re all perjured, they’re all incredible statements.”
The Romualdez counsel pointed out that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) had in fact found no liability on the part of the former speaker.
“If you will recall, no less than the ICI released their findings that they could not find any liability on the part of the former speaker. The ICI’s express findings have been like that when the records were forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman,” Fajardo said.
He reiterated that his principal is ready to answer the allegations once formally required by the ombudsman. “The speaker is not at all evading the process here and he is ready to face all these. He voluntarily stepped down as speaker if only to give way to the investigation,” he said.
Fajardo said Romualdez has remained in the country and continues to do his job as Leyte first district representative. “He’s here. He’s busy as congressman of Leyte. He’s willing to face everything if indeed there is evidence as they say.”
