Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Panfilo Lacson said Thursday that former House speaker Martin Romualdez may be invited to the panel’s next hearing into the flood control scam, though he cannot be forcefully summoned for questioning in case he turns down the invitation.
Lacson’s statement comes in the wake of scathing criticisms by minority Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Imee Marcos, who expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of Monday’s hearing, citing what they described as the committee’s lack of effort to excavate the extent of Romualdez’s alleged involvement in a house in South Forbes Park.
“We can invite Romualdez anew and course the invitation through Speaker Faustino Dy III. If he wants to attend, he is welcome to come and air his side. But he cannot be forced to come due to inter-parliamentary courtesy," Lacson said in Filipino in an interview.
Inter-parliamentary courtesy is a long-standing tradition in Congress, in which members of both chambers—the House of Representatives and the Senate—do not meddle in each other’s affairs.
Lacson said Romualdez was invited in previous hearings to shed light on his alleged role in the scheme, though he did not specify how the congressman refused the invitation.
Romualdez has been tagged as the owner of a property at 30 Tamarind Road, South Forbes Park—the house acquired solely to serve as a drop-off point and storage facility for SOPs or kickbacks from flood control projects, as alleged by former lawmaker and administration ally Elizaldy Co.
The kickbacks were purportedly intended for Romualdez and President Marcos Jr., who also reportedly reside in the posh subdivision.
Marcos and Romualdez had denied Co’s allegations.
Questions about the property’s ownership were further fueled when two witnesses, who testified under the pseudonyms Joy and Maria, said at Monday’s Blue Ribbon Committee hearing that it was Romualdez who acquired the house, citing contractor Curlee Discaya.
The witnesses alleged that they briefly encountered Discaya on 1 February 2024, who introduced himself only as the property’s “contractor,” while assisting them in vacating the house.
The property in question was allegedly leased by Joy and Maria’s former boss, Rico Ocampo, before it was sold in April 2023 to the current owner.
The witnesses claimed that the deed of sale states that Golden Pheasant Holdings Corporation acquired the property, whose “major stockholder” includes Jose Raulito Paras—Romualdez’s alleged fraternity brother and business associate—according to Lacson.
Discaya denied witnesses’ claims, saying he has never been to Forbes Park.
Lacson announced that Paras will also be invited to the next hearing to clarify his alleged involvement in the house, reportedly worth P1 billion.
"We will invite Atty. Paras and if he says Golden Pheasant and not former Speaker Romualdez bought the property, he can explain to the Bureau of Internal Revenue what his financial capacity is to buy the house, which is quite expensive," he said.
Marcoleta and Senator Marcos, along with four minority senators, released a so-called “minority report” outlining the committee’s “lapses” in the ongoing flood control probe.
They called it “stagnant” and hinted at a potential cover-up of high-ranking officials, specifically Romualdez, citing Lacson’s remarks that there is still insufficient evidence to implicate the former speaker in the alleged anomalies in the flood control projects.
Lacson, in response, dismissed the minority report, calling it a blatant “disrespect” to the committee and against the Senate rules. He also argued that he is not shielding Romualdez.
“What I am saying is that it will provide leads to investigators because the Senate investigation is not for prosecution but is in aid of legislation. At the same time, we can forward the appropriate evidence to the investigating agencies," Lacson added.