Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez Speaks on Decision To Resign from Post
MARTIN ROMUALDEZ – The former House Speaker spoke his side over his decision to step down from the leadership of the House of Representatives.
Amid the rumors and speculations, Antipolo City 1st District Representative Ronaldo Puno confirmed that Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has informed them that he will resign from his position. His decision came amid the accusations that he is allegedly one of the government officials who receive kickback from the flood control projects of the government.
The accusations against Romualdez came after controversial contractors Pacifico and Sarah Discaya dropped his name in their testimony during a Senate hearing. According to the Discayas, Romualdez and Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co allegedly receive a 30% kickback from the government flood control deals.
Then-Speaker Martin Romualdez reacted to the claims of the Discayas linking him to flood control corruption and stressed that he is “self-made”. According to him, he does not need and will never allow himself to be corrupted by money that is not his.
During a House of Representatives flood probe, Mr. Discaya claimed that he never had a direct transaction with the then-Speaker. Romualdez’s camp stressed that the House Speaker was not filing charges against his accusers then as the allegations against him remains a “hearsay”. Several members of the House also claimed that they have “solid” support on their chief and “there’s no change of leadership”.
Thus, the resignation of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday came as a surprise among many people. During his last session as the chief of the House of Representatives, Romualdez stressed that his length of stay in the position will affect not only him but as well as the chamber and the Marcos Jr. administration.
“The longer I stay, the heavier that burden grows on me, on this house, and on the President I’ve always sought to support. And so, after deep reflection and prayer, I have made a decision today, with a full heart and a clear conscience, I tender my resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Romualdez said.
Based on a report on Inquirer, the Leyte Representative said he is leaving his position as the chief of the House of Representatives so the Independent Commission on Infrastructure can freely and fully fulfill their mandate. It was Pres. Bongbong Marcos who ordered for the creation of the ICI to probe the infrastructure projects of the government amid the flood control mess in the country.
“Ang ating mga kababayan ay naghahangad ng linaw at higit sa lahat ng tiwala. Tungkulin natin na ito ay maibalik,” the former House Speaker said.
Based on the report, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez expressed that he is leaving the top post in the House of Representatives with humility as a public servant. He stressed that he is stepping down in service and not because of surrendering.
“I leave this chamber as I first entered it: a humble servant ready to serve wherever duty may call. I step down not in surrender but in service. For sometimes, the greatest act of leadership is the grace to let it go. So that this institution may endure stronger than ever before,” he expressed.
Prior to the formal resignation of the then-Speaker before the members of the lower chamber, House Deputy Speaker Jay Khonghun claimed that Martin Romualdez chose to sacrifice for the House of Representatives and the country.