There is no indication that Congressman Martin Romualdez was involved in any false or poorly done flood control projects, according to his counsel.
The Office of the Ombudsman said before that these projects may be used to accuse Romualdez with plunder. But Ade Fajardo, his lawyer, said they aren’t afraid. “We are sure that this will be settled based on evidence and due process, not politics or guessing,” Fajardo said.
Romualdez is related to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through his mother’s side of the family. He said last Monday that he is willing to collaborate with the Ombudsman, which is the government institution that deals with complaints against public officials.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said they are getting ready to file a plunder case against both Romualdez and former Senate President Francis Escudero. Remulla stated that the complaint might be brought at the Sandiganbayan, a court just for government officials, as soon as next month.
Fajardo told the public that there hasn’t been a case filed yet. He said that there is no official complaint, no finding of probable cause, and no decision on whether Romualdez is guilty of anything. “This only refers to a reported preparation of a complaint.” The lawyer said, “There is no case filed and no finding of liability at this time.”
The Palace also had something to say about it. Claire Castro, the Undersecretary for Presidential Communications, claimed that the Marcos administration always observes the law. She emphasized that launching a complaint is a big deal and shouldn’t be done only to garner the media’s attention.
Castro added that President Marcos was in charge of looking into the flood control projects that were not very good. She stated that the President wants individuals who did wrong to face the penalties, but only if the evidence supports it. “This administration doesn’t file cases quickly or without reason.” Castro noted that filing charges should be thought about properly and not just for the sake of getting media attention.
She also said that people who make a lot of noise about the problem but don’t really help find the truth or punish those who do wrong are wrong.
There is no official case yet. People are waiting to see what the Ombudsman will do next while the inquiry goes on.
