(UPDATE) THE Office of the Ombudsman is preparing a plunder case against former speaker Martin Romualdez and former Senate president Francis Escudero in connection with the budget process.
In a press briefing on Monday, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the “element of conspiracy” was “involved in the preparation of the complaint.” He said the complaint would be filed by May.
“We’re just tying up many things that have to be there for us to make a case,” he said, adding that the complaint was “flood control-related in so many ways.” “It’s actually the way that the budget was passed upon by the two houses and how many things happened to have been implemented because of that,” he said.
He said many other members of the two chambers could be included in the plunder complaint being prepared.
“Right now, we are looking into ‘24 and ‘25 but it can go back to as far as the time of Speaker (Lord Allan) Velasco,” he said when asked what years were covered in the Ombudsman’s investigation.
The camp of Romualdez, the congressional representative of Leyte’s first district, said that the lawmaker will cooperate once the complaint has been filed.
He earlier denied involvement in any irregularity.
“I have never authorized, instructed, or allowed anyone to engage in any conduct that would betray the people or taint my name,” Romualdez said.
He said he never received any kickback from any infrastructure project.
Romualdez stepped down as speaker on Sept. 17, 2025, calling it a duty to restore public trust.
“The issues surrounding certain infrastructure projects have raised questions that weigh not only upon me but [also] upon this institution we all serve,” he said when he announced his decision at the plenary. “The longer I stay, the heavier that burden grows on me, on this House, and on the president I’ve always sought to support,” he said.
In August 2025, Romualdez announced reforms that the House of Representatives would implement in budget deliberations. He had expressed support for opening bicameral budget deliberations to the public. Earlier that month, the House adopted a resolution that allowed people’s organizations to join its Appropriations Committee’s public hearings on the national budget as observers.
The crafting of the 2026 national budget was marked by reforms in the budget process that included the livestreaming of the deliberations of the bicameral conference committee that finalized the budget measure.
The House also convened a Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee, the deliberations of which were also livestreamed.