Palace Speaks on Marcos Jr. Following Romualdez’s Warning vs. Executive Branch
MARCOS JR. – The Palace spoke on the remarks of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez versus the executive department.
Both Pres. Bongbong Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez were tagged by former House Budget Appropriations Committee chairman Zaldy Co in the budget insertion mess amid the flood control scam. Co made the allegations after the supposed multi-billion flood control corruption broke out.
The Palace was quick to defend Marcos Jr. from the allegation of Co. The former Congressman is one of the alleged main role players in the flood control mess. According to press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, he allegedly pinned the President as he wants the investigation to stop.
Amid the flood control accusations, Pres. Bongbong Marcos vowed to give the flood control issue a conclusion. He and the Palace repeatedly stressed that he was the one who opened the investigation on the matter.
Amid the flood control mess, then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez stepped down from the top post in the House of Representatives. According to the presidential cousin and Leyte Congressman, he is innocent and he wants the Independent Commission for Infrastructure or ICI to be able to fully implement its mandate without undue influence.
The ICI was created upon the order of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. amid the flood control mess. It ended its investigation in March and submitted the flood control documents to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Here are the reported achievements of the ICI:
- Nine referrals, covering 65 implicated individuals, submitted to the Ombudsman, one of which was made with the Department of Public Works and Highways
- 66 individuals referred to the Department of Justice for the issuance of Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders (ILBOs)
- 32 hearings covering 36 witnesses, including 20 legislators and five agency heads
- 16 site inspections nationwide
- 1,173 documents processed
- 6,692 bank accounts of implicated individuals frozen or subjected to freeze orders
- P24.7 billion worth of assets seized, preserved, frozen or surrendered, according to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. This includes 229 vehicles, 394 insurance policies, 161 real properties, 16 e-wallet accounts and 10 air assets
- Eight inter-agency coordination meetings conducted and six legislative sessions attended
- Three hearings livestreamed
Recently, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Zaldy Co has been arrested and is now detained in Prague. Following his announcement, Ombudsman Boying Remulla also announced that they did not allow former Speaker Martin Romualdez to travel to Singapore for a checkup. According to him, he might not return and his travel may allegedly not be a coincidence with the arrest of Co.
Following the denial of his request to travel to Singapore, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez warned the executive department not to allegedly force him to squeal. Malacanang spoke on the reaction of Marcos Jr. over his cousin’s remarks.
Based on News5, during a press conference, Palace press officer Usec. Claire Castro claimed that Marcos Jr. believes that remarks of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez is not for him. She stressed that the President is not only the one in the executive department.
“Siya po ang nagpa-utos na magpa-imbestiga. ‘Pag sinabi nating executive hindi lamang po ang Pangulo ang nasa executive. Kaya nga po nagkaroon ng ICI,” she said based on the post.
Amid the flood control issue and the calls for accountability, Pres. Bongbong Marcos vowed that the Philippine government will bring Zaldy Co home.
