Exoneration of Speaker Martin Romualdez in the Flood Control Corruption Probe
By Dr. Tony Leachon
The recent pronouncement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—exonerating his first cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, from involvement in the flood control project corruption scandal—is deeply troubling. While the President claims that “no evidence has been made against him” and that “cases are not filed for optics,” the optics themselves are damning.
If Zaldy Co is reportedly en route to the United States from Europe, Secretary Manuel Bonoan is abroad accompanying his wife for a medical procedure, and Speaker Romualdez failed to attend the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) meeting due to his own medical concerns, then what are we left with?
A sickening reality: the system appears to be playing us all.
I sincerely wish Secretary Bonoan’s wife a full recovery. And I hope the Secretary himself remains in good shape—lest he be tempted to stay abroad forever, far from the scrutiny of a nation demanding answers.
The big fishes swim freely. The small ones are left to drown in the net of selective justice.
This is not governance. This is theater.
This is not accountability. This is choreography.
The Filipino people are not blind. We see the patterns. We feel the betrayal. We are told to trust institutions that cannot even show up—let alone stand up—for the truth.
We deserve more than curated lists and vague promises of transparency. We deserve truth. We deserve accountability. We deserve leaders who do not shield their own while preaching reform.
Mahiya naman kayo.
If the ICI cannot assert its independence, and if our institutions continue to bend to political convenience, then we must ask: who protects the Republic when power protects itself?
We call for the full disclosure of all names involved, regardless of rank or relation. We call for an impartial investigation. And we call for an end to the theatrics.
Because justice is not a performance.
It is a promise.
#RelentlessForChange #MahiyaNamanKayo
Tony Leachon