President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said on Friday that the Ombudsman will probe all of the evidence gathered by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which may warrant criminal charges against former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizaldy S. Co.
“I want to inform our fellow citizens that all the information gathered by the ICI and the DPWH will be referred and turned over to the Ombudsman so the Ombudsman can investigate it,” he said in Filipino on a Facebook post.
“This concerns information about former Speaker Martin Romualdez and Zaldy Co. When all the evidence is seen and verified, we may file a case for plunder or anti-graft or indirect bribery,” he added.
Mr. Marcos noted that he is confident that the Ombudsman will base its investigation on the findings from the agencies. “Wherever the evidence leads us, that is where our investigation will go.”
In a joint referral report, the DPWH and ICI recommended filing charges of plunder, graft, and bribery against Mr. Romualdez and Mr. Co for their alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects.
According to DPWH Secretary Vince B. Dizon, the joint report includes contracts of Sunwest Inc. and Hi-Tone Construction from 2016 to 2025, along with the sworn testimonies of retired Sgt. Orly Guteza, who identified himself as Mr. Co’s ex-security aide, during one of the hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
“The recommended action contained in the second to the last page, Letter A – violation of Republic Act 7080 or an Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder; Letter B – violations of Section 3A, B, and E, and H of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. And finally, violation of Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code on direct bribery,” he said in a press conference.
Mr. Romualdez, in a report by DZBB Super Radyo, said that he is prepared to face any investigations and charges that will be filed against him.
He earlier denied allegations of kickbacks in flood control projects as alleged by the contractor husband and wife, Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II, during a Senate hearing in September.
Meanwhile, Mr. Co, in a video statement on November 17, said that he is only a “poster boy”, accusing Mr. Marcos, Mr. Romualdez, and other Cabinet members of “insertions” worth P100 billion in the national budget.
“They made me a poster boy for their lies. Now, I will not be silent, I will reveal the truth,” he said in Filipino. “There’s a receipt, evidence, and names.” — Almira Louse S. Martinez