President ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. with then House Speaker Martin Romualdez in better times. (Photo from Facebook)
Although all efforts are now being done for those involved in the scandalous flood control fiasco to be sent to jail before Christmas, it has been confirmed that President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s cousin, former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, will not be one of them.
Prior to this report, the chief executive vowed prompt action to be done in rendering the culprits liable as the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended charges to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
In an announcement, Marcos Jr. had presented the ICI’s first batch of case referrals, transmitted to the Office of the Ombudsman on Sept. 29, involving 37 people, including senators Joel Villanueva and Jose ‘Jinggoy Estrada’ Ejercito Jr., former House appropriations chairman Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co, former Caloocan City District II representative Mary Mitzi ‘Mitch’ Cajayon-Uy, Commission on Audit (CoA) commissioner Mario Lipana and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel ‘Manny’ Bonoan.
Also implicated were former DPWH undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina CABRAL and other public works officials from Bulacan and Region 4B offices and representatives of private contractors allegedly involved in anomalous projects.
The 37 individuals are facing cases for allegedly violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code, or malversation of public funds in relation to the Government Procurement Reform Act.
“There will be no merry Christmas for any of them,” the president had stated emphatically while adding that his administration’s efforts are anchored on three goals: to hold accountable those behind the corruption, to recover the stolen public funds and to institute reforms to put a stop to the irregularities.
“So, to those shameless people and their accomplices who stole public funds, your happy days are over,” he asserted as he stressed that while he wants the speedy resolution of cases, the building of solid cases based on evidence is the top priority so as the charges won’t be dismissed due to legal technicalities.
“You know, we fear that those who are truly complicit in this shamelessness will escape consequences because of a legal technicality, because we made a mistake in compiling evidence, because we did not present the case well, or because we forgot to sign a document,” the president pointed out.
“So we make sure that when we file a case, that case will be strong until the end, and whoever is guilty, they will be held accountable. And if necessary and if the court judges them, they will be imprisoned,” he further said.
Meanwhile, responding to questions why his first cousin Martin Romualdez is not on the list to be charged before the Ombudsman, Marcos Jr. explained that the former Speaker was not among those referred by the ICI to the Office of the Ombudsman for corruption charges.
“I don’t think so, because the only evidence that has been made against him is in the Senate. So, I don’t know. With the [former] speaker, no. Not as yet,” he clarified.
“If something else comes out, then he might have to be answerable for something,” he quickly cited.
