By Gabriel Kim Leal
(February 8, 2025) – Allies of former president Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday announced their plan to file criminal charges against House Speaker Martin Romualdez and several lawmakers for allegedly inserting P241 billion in unauthorized items in the 2025 national budget.
Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said the case will be filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. Joining him are senatorial aspirant Jimmy Bondoc and non-government organization Citizens Crime Watch.
Among those named in the complaint are Romualdez, Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, Zamboanga City Rep. Mannix Dalipe, and “several Jane and John Does.”
“Malaking halaga ‘yung pinasok nila na hindi inaprubahan ng Kongreso. Hindi ito ang napagkasunduan sa bicam committee at nagulat na lang kami lahat nung makita namin na ‘yung in-email sa amin na bicam report may mga blanko dito. Ngunit nung pinirmahan ng presidente, kumpleto na,” claimed Alvarez.
He was referring to the blank items in the bicameral report for this year’s national budget worth P6.325 trillion.
“We are really fighting against the corruption that is nasa institusyon. Wala itong kinalaman sa politika. Very little to do with politics,” claimed Bondoc, who’s running under Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, acting chairperson of the committee on appropriations, confirmed that there were blank items in the bicameral report but claimed that the funding sources were already identified prior to the approval.
Romualdez and his allies are rumored to be behind the impeachment of Duterte’s daughter, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte-Carpio, in the House of Representatives.
Alvarez stressed that their case is separate from the petition filed before the Supreme Court, which seeks to declare the 2025 national budget unconstitutional.
“Nakikita natin, nadidinig, nababasa, talagang talamak ang korapsyon ngayon. Sumali tayo sa mga hakbang nang mahabol natin ang kung sino man ang mga sangkot sa ganitong anomalya,” said Citizens Crime Watch president Diego Magpantay.
Romualdez and his co-accused have yet to react to the development, as of writing.
(PM)
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