Romualdez, Escudero trade shots over flood control kickbacks

Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and then Senate President Chiz Escudero are locked in a rhetorical duel over the scandalous flood control projects, with neither camp showing any signs of backing down.

Romualdez quickly fired back at Escudero after the senator accused him of weaponizing the so-called "for-later-release" allocations to pressure members of the House of Representatives to sign the "unconstitutional" impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

The erstwhile House chief brushed off the senator's privilege speech on Monday as far from an exposé, but a mere "DDS (Diehard Duterte Supporters) script—the same recycled accusations we have long seen on troll pages and social media posts."

Romualdez further stressed that the "performance [was] designed to profess loyalty" to the VP, who was present at the Senate plenary as Escudero delivered his scathing speech, in a veiled attempt "to position himself as her ally for 2028 [presidential election]."

Both Romualdez and Escudero are being implicated in the alleged kickback scheme in the flood control projects, along with other members of Congress.

However, Escudero cried foul over Romualdez's non-inclusion in the charge sheet filed by the National Bureau of Investigation before the Department of Justice against key personalities accused of involvement, suggesting selective prosecution.

"Is Martin Romualdez's power really that strong that even though he is no longer the speaker, he is still this 'the name that cannot be mentioned', and can just get his way?" Escudero said in Filipino.

The Department of Justice attributed the omission of Romualdez in the NBI list for case buildup to the failure of his accuser, Orly Guteza, to appear before the DOJ to submit his affidavit.

Guteza, a witness of Senator Rodante Marcoleta who introduced himself as Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co’s former security consultant, told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that he personally delivered bags of cash to Romualdez’s Forbes Park houses, which may have totaled up to approximately P1.6 billion.

The money, dubbed “basura” (trash), was allegedly kickbacks from flood control projects and was delivered from Co’s residence in Valle Verde, Pasig City.

Romualdez and Co have vehemently denied Guteza’s kickback allegations, with the former speaker branding his testimonies as “pilit na pilit” (extremely forced), suggesting he was coached.

As for Escudero, he was linked by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who told the Senate panel that Maynard Ngu—Escudero's friend and one of his top campaign donors in the 2022 elections—asked him to submit a list of infrastructure projects that were later itemized in the General Appropriations Act.

Bernardo claimed that following their pact, he personally delivered 20 percent of approximately P800 million, or about P160 million, to Ngu, which was allegedly meant for Escudero.

Prior to Bernardo’s bombshell testimony, Escudero had already been a central figure in the flood control scandal, having admitted to receiving P30 million in campaign donations from his “longtime friend and acquaintance," Centerways Construction president Lawrence Lubiano—one of the top 15 contractors that bagged the majority of government flood control projects nationwide.

Aside from the high-stakes flood control issues rocking Congress, Escudero also points to Romualdez as the engineer of Duterte's impeachment in early February, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional for allegedly violating the one-year bar.

The senator also accused Romualdez of orchestrating a "sarswela" and a "script" to pin the blame for the flood control corruption allegations on the senators and "divert the public's attention from the real perpetrators."

In a fiery rebuttal, Romualdez told Escudero that he is the one dodging the issue.

“Instead of answering the serious questions he himself must face, Sen. Escudero chose to deflect. He did not deny the allegations against him. He did not explain his own role in flood control kickbacks. Instead of explaining, he passed the blame," Romualdez asserted.

Romualdez, who resigned as Speaker last week to uphold the independence of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure's probe into the flood control anomalies, affirmed that he will continue to cooperate with every impartial investigation.

"My record can withstand scrutiny. I have nothing to hide. As for Sen. Escudero, if he is truly looking for accountability, he should explain himself at the precinct,” he stressed.