(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday announced that the Office of the Ombudsman was close to filing of cases against his cousin, former speaker Martin Romualdez, and other lawmakers over the anomalous flood control projects.
During his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos said it pained him that cases were being filed against his cousin.
"We have reached the point where, according to the Ombudsman, the filing of multiple charges against the former speaker is imminent. While this is painful for me, we must do what is right. I am not the President of my family; I am not the President of my friends. I am the President of the Philippines; my duty is to you, my fellow Filipinos,” he said.
“As I promised you, we conducted an extensive and in-depth investigation, free from bias toward anyone. We meticulously examined the facts and followed wherever the evidence led. We did everything necessary to get to the bottom of the matter. Charges have already been filed and individuals imprisoned—including contractors, high-ranking officials, and even lawmakers," he said in Filipino.
The Office of the Ombudsman last week tagged Romualdez as the “central figure in a scheme built on the diversion of public funds meant for flood control projects” It said to have found substantial evidence linking Romualdez to the alleged misuse of government appropriations earmarked for flood mitigation infrastructure and moved conduct of preliminary investigations into separate complaints for plunder and violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act against the lawmaker.
Meanwhile, Romualdez said he while he respected Marcos' position, he stressed that he never asked for special treatment or favors throughout the course of the probe.
“While this is painful for my family, I respect the President's statement. I have never asked for any favors or special treatment,” the Leyte lawmaker said in a statement in Filipino.
“I agree that we should do what is right. The right thing to do is to follow the process and let the evidence speak for itself,” he added.
Romualdez again maintained that he has “done nothing illegal” and that he was ready to prove it before the court.
