Momo quits bicam after facing plunder raps

Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. on Sunday resigned as a member of the House of Representatives’ contingent in the bicameral conference committee tasked with ironing out the conflicting provisions in the proposed 2026 budget. 

The resignation came on the heels of the filing of plunder charges against the lawmaker in the Ombudsman, alleging that the firm owned by his family bagged government contracts in his home province to the tune of P1.4 billion.

Momo dismissed the case as “false, baseless, and politically motivated,” but averred that stepping down is necessary to prevent jeopardizing Congress’ efforts to restore public trust amid allegations of large-scale corruption in flood control projects involving lawmakers.

“Let me be clear: this courtesy resignation is not an admission of guilt. It is an affirmation of the values that must guide every public servant honor, integrity, accountability, and respect for our institutions,” he said. “This decision reflects my respect for Congress as an institution and my belief that it must be protected above personal considerations.”

Momo was a former undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, which has been under fire for reportedly colluding with members of Congress and private contractors in exchange for kickbacks from infrastructure projects, particularly flood control projects. 

He currently chairs the House committee on public works and infrastructure and serves as one of the vice chairpersons of the appropriations committee. 

He was accused of plunder for allegedly exploiting his office to bag P1.4 billion in public works contracts for Surigao La Suerte Corporation (SLSC), a firm allegedly connected to his family. 

The complainant, comprising a group of Catholic priests and lawyers from Tandag, Surigao del Sur, cited records from the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that Momo and his relatives still held a stake in SLSC as of 2019. 

At the time, Momo was already a member of Congress, though he claimed that he had long divested from the company. 

Momo, as alleged in the complaint, was listed as a director of SLSC despite already obtaining government projects, in violation of the law. 

The complainant also mentioned that the SLSC’s capital saw a dramatic increase from P10 million in 2019 to P200 million in 2023, which they find “not ordinary circumstances.”

Momo, on the other hand, maintained that his conscience is clear and that he is ready to be investigated.

“I ask only that judgment be reserved for the proper forum, where facts, not propaganda, are heard,” he concluded.

Aside from Momo, Senator Jinggoy Estrada also withdrew his bicam membership amid controversies linking him to flood control kickbacks, as alleged by former DPWH officials. 

The bicam, composed of selected members of the House and Senate, is also under intense scrutiny amid concerns about a possible recurrence of “last-minute insertions” in the 2026 proposed budget, as seen in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. 

This year’s budget, derided by critics as the “most corrupt” budget in Philippine history, was initially set at P6.352 trillion. 

However, it was trimmed to P6.326 trillion after President Marcos Jr. vetoed P194 billion in line items deemed inconsistent with his administration's priority programs, including P16.7 billion for flood control projects.

The budget cut was reportedly triggered by “budget insertions” that were heavily blamed on the bicam that approved the final version of the budget bill before it was submitted to the President for signature. 

Following public clamor, Congress—for the first time in history—opened the bicameral deliberations on the 2026 budget to restore public trust in the institution, kicking off its first meeting on Saturday.