Romualdez out? Bojie Dy rumored Speaker's proxy; Albee Benitez still frontrunner

Rumblings of a major shakeup in the House of Representatives show no sign of dying down in light of reports that Speaker Martin Romualdez would be taking a leave, prompting leadership changes.

Insiders said Romualdez was supposed to step down on Tuesday, with Isabela Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III taking over.

However, a DAILY TRIBUNE source said the Speaker was not in the House during the 30-minute session, but in Malacañang.

Dy is one of Romualdez’s deputies in the present Congress, and a stalwart of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas — President Marcos Jr.’s party.

The source added that Dy is also a protege of the Chief Executive, whose bid was strongly backed by Malacañang.

DAILY TRIBUNE reached out to Dy’s office for confirmation, but they declined to comment.

Another alleged frontrunner is Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez, who is critical of Romualdez, along with Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and Cebu Rep. Duke Frasco. The lawmakers went independent after abstaining from voting for Romualdez’s reelection as House speaker of the 20th Congress, citing frustrations with his leadership.

Benitez, Tiangco, and Frasco were all rumored contenders of Romualdez for the speakership, but they did not formalize their candidacy in July due to alleged lack of majority backing.

If installed as a speaker, Benitez would bring to justice those involved in the 2025 General Appropriations Act’s alleged budget manipulation and corruption in the flood control scheme, the source said.

Why change?

Romualdez’s rumored resignation came on the heels of mounting public pressure over his alleged involvement in the trillion-peso flood control scandal.

The House chief was among the 19 House lawmakers accused of receiving 10 to 25 percent kickbacks from every flood control project awarded to the construction firms of Curlee and Sarah Discaya.

The Discaya couple, who run nine construction firms, which are embroiled in allegations of substandard and ghost or non-existent flood mitigation projects, said that the commissions serve as a “condition” to ensure that the release and the implementation of the said projects will not incur delays or problems.

Aside from Romualdez, the Discayas also accused his key ally, Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, and 16 more lawmakers and public works and highways officials of forcing them into giving kickbacks in exchange for government contracts.

Romualdez, Co, and their colleagues categorically denied the accusations, with the Speaker asserting that project implementations fall outside of Congress’ scope, and that executive agencies like the DPWH are the ones responsible for it.

At the House probe last week, Discaya admitted that he had no direct dealings with Romualdez and Co, saying that lawmakers demanding commissions may be using their names to gain leverage.

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier claimed that 67 House members in the previous Congress had complete control over the project funds because either they or their relatives were the contractors for the government’s flood mitigation program.

Apart from members of the House, Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada were also implicated in the corruption scheme, allegedly receiving at least 30 percent kickback.

Tiangco off the list

Amid speculations of possible successors of Romualdez, Tiangco candidly said he turned down proposals by his colleagues to reconsider running for Speaker, even heading the powerful committee on appropriations, which scrutinizes and approves the annual budget bill.

"Last week, they were asking me if I would reconsider [running for Speaker], I’ve already said no. They shouldn’t include me because it doesn’t look good, right? I was the most vocal about this issue. They might say I just used the issue to become Speaker," Tiangco told reporters in an ambush.

The Navotas lawmaker asserted that replacing Romualdez temporarily would only do little unless there is a sweeping reshuffle, including the deputy speakers and chairmen of “sensitive” committees, including, among others, the appropriations panel.

Last week, Tiangco revealed that talks of a coup against Romualdez have been gaining traction as early as the first week of September, though lawmakers supportive of the move are reluctant to act, fearing they may fall short of a majority backing.

But Romualdez allies, including the National Unity Party—the second biggest bloc in the House next to the Speaker-led Lakas-CMD—brushed off the rumored brewing leadership shakeup, asserting that nearly 300 lawmakers are still supportive of the House chief being at the helm.

Despite this, Romualdez is likely to step down from his post tomorrow, Wednesday.