A few days before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee resumes its investigation into the ghost flood control projects and the multibillion-peso kickbacks, panel chairman Panfilo Lacson declared there is no evidence linking resigned House Speaker Martin Romualdez to the anomalies.
Of course, Romualdez’s rah-rah boys led by who else but Deputy Speaker Ronnie Puno, Rep. Paolo Ortega and Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong went gaga over Lacson’s absolution of their principal and went about town barking about the premature judgment of Lacson.
But Lacson was not alone in issuing statements that attempted to whitewash the issues raised against Romualdez in connection with the unprecedented corruption in President Bongbong Marcos’ centerpiece flood control program that turned out to be ghosts and substandard with billions of pesos going to politicians and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways. This in addition to what the contractors made that was estimated at over P1 trillion of the people’s money.
Lacson’s preconceived verdict was followed closely by his “Sancho,” Senate President Tito Sotto, who out of the blue declared that the documents of the late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral that were released in late 2025 and allegedly showed DPWH budget data were “trash.”
The files included the list of projects and funds assigned to different legislative districts between 2023 and 2026 and Sotto’s pronouncement made it more exigent that they be bared to the public.
Lacson’s contention was that retired Marine Sgt. Orly Guteza was the only witness to come forward. It will be recalled that at the height of his testimony wherein Guteza implicated both Romualdez and President Marcos, Lacson suspended the hearing without scheduling its resumption. He also warned Guteza he could be charged over his supposedly questionable affidavit. This after Guteza had read the contents of his affidavit under oath before the Senate committee.
Lacson was smarting though. He skipped over the fact that former representative Zaldy Co — the estranged member of the powerful triumvirate of Marcos, Romualdez and himself that decided on the government budget in the so-called “small committee” --- had aired on social media a video detailing the delivery of luggage supposedly containing billions of pesos to Romualdez’s Forbes Park home and a house near Malacañang.
Co’s exposé backed Guteza’s testimony.
No one can tell if Guteza will reappear at the coming hearing given the threat of imprisonment he faces. This administration has a notoriety for punishing dissent.
But then again, we cannot discount the political agenda behind the rhetoric. Does the brazen declaration of Lacson that Romualdez is innocent and Sotto’s belittling of the evidence in the Cabral files have anything to do with the duo’s ambition to run for president and vice president anew?
For so long a time, there was this consolidated move to denigrate VP Sara Duterte to take her out of the presidential race. The indecent camaraderie of Marcos, Romualdez and the communist fronts in Congress is showing cracks as each have their own bets for the top posts while some have the sole agenda of getting reelected.
Thus, there is talk of Marcos’ impeachment which is music to 94 percent of Filipinos who believe the administration is fraught with corruption. The leftist partylist representatives have openly aired their dismay over being “used” by Marcos.
The critics, especially among the politicians against VP Sara, have finally come to their senses. No amount of black propaganda and incendiary perorations, including from the so-called analysts, have succeeded in diminishing the popularity, the peoples’ trust and approval of VP Sara Duterte. The data culled by the three leading survey firms, namely, Social Weather Stations, Pulse Asia and Publicus Asia reaffirmed that Sara is the top candidate.
This early Marcos is a lame duck with practically zero influence on the coming 2028 elections. Expect the crumbling of the administration’s affiliates as early as 2026. The next scenarios will be interesting to watch, including the adventurism of Lacson and Sotto.