In light of the announcement of the Office of the Ombudsman concerning the development in the cases against former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had no intention of interfering in the case lodged against his cousin.

“No, the President will not interfere in any investigation. Like I have said, and the President himself has said, regardless of who gets investigated, wherever the evidence leads, we will follow it,” Castro told reporters in a press briefing on Monday, 20 July.

During the same day, the Ombudsman mentioned that Romualdez along with former congressman Zaldy Co and other unidentified individuals were found to have committed unlawful actions that amounted to plunder and a violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA).

Given the findings, the cases were submitted for preliminary investigation under the anti-graft body.

In the months leading up to the filing, Romualdez has been repeatedly mentioned as one of the supposed masterminds in the flood control scandal that led to the misuse of billions in public funds.

The camp of the former Speaker has been firm in its belief that there was no evidence that proved such claims, even insinuating and urging the Ombudsman to inhibit itself from the probe due to supposed “bias.”

As for the President, Castro explained that Marcos will keep his hands off of the investigation, stressing that it will allow the investigative body to follow the evidence.

“So, whatever happens in any investigation regarding this, the President will not interfere and will accept the outcome,” she said.

Even with the ongoing efforts of the Ombudsman, critics of the administration and even some lawmakers, particularly ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio has stressed that the probe into the anomalies has been “selective.”

In a press statement on Sunday, 19 July, Tinio claimed that the “biggest fish” in the scandal remain at large, even implying that the primary orchestrator of the issue was the President himself.

Addressing the statements, Castro urged the lawmaker and any other individual that had sufficient evidence to file a formal complaint to authorities.

The Palace official maintained that officials investigating the crime were merely following due process to ensure that the enforcement of justice would be properly handed down.

“It would be better if you file complaints because that is what the President wants, to hold everybody involved accountable. So, for anybody getting impatient, if you have concrete evidence, go ahead and file cases now,” Castro said.

Meanwhile, the camp of Romualdez said that they were prepared to answer the allegations raised against their client once they received a copy of the complaint at the Ombudsman.