Philippine House Speaker Martin Romualdez faces mounting plunder allegations over an alleged ₱24 billion scheme involving ghost and substandard flood control projects, as an explosive video alleging systematic corruption went viral across Filipino social media.
The allegations, detailed in a two-hour video by political commentary channel PGMN, accuse Romualdez of orchestrating budget manipulation that saw Congress's cash reserves balloon from approximately ₱4 billion in 2019 to nearly ₱28 billion by 2024 during his tenure as Appropriations Committee chair and later Speaker.
According to the detailed breakdown provided by political analyst CJ Hirro in the video, Congress consistently overspent its Miscellaneous Expenses budget by ₱3 to ₱3.7 billion annually from 2022 to 2024, with funds allegedly redirected through inflated line items that served as vehicles for systematic budget padding.
Ten countries, 700 million people, one region - and in Manila, where flood control matters as much as any infrastructure priority, the allegations strike at the heart of government credibility.
The video argues that while Romualdez publicly claimed he maintained silence "out of respect for due process," he simultaneously deployed not one but two spokespersons - Princess Abante for Congress and Ace Barbers as his personal spokesperson - while multiple congressional allies publicly defended him.
Romualdez, who also serves as president of the ruling Lakas-CMD party and is a first cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has denied being the "mastermind" of any corruption scheme. In a congressional speech, he argued that Congress does not implement projects and deflected responsibility to implementing agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways.
