House Speaker Martin Romualdez Asserted Allegations of Corruption Must Be Investigated
MARTIN ROMUALDEZ – The House Speaker expressed his support for the independent scrutiny in the fight against corruption in the government.
One of the most pressing issues in the Philippines for decades now is corruption. Currently, the Department of Public Works and Highways is on fire amid the ‘ghost’ and substandard flood control projects in the different areas across the nation. They received a lot of criticisms including allegations of corruption and collusion with contractors.
Previous, Pres. Bongbong Marcos revealed that the country has already spent P545 billion for the flood control projects. Undeniably, several areas in the country frequently experience flooding problems whenever we are hit with heavy rains for days and tropical storms.
Aside from revealing the total spending of the Philippines for the flood control projects since his term began until May 2025, the President also flagged 15 contractors. According to him, they got around P100 billion or 18% of the total government funds spent for the flood control deals. They are the following:
- Legacy Construction Corporation
- Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.
- St. Timothy Construction Corporation
- QM Builders
- EGB Construction Corporation
- Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc.
- Centerways Construction and Development Inc.
- Sunwest, Inc.
- Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corp.
- Triple 8 Construction & Supply, Inc.
- Royal Crown Monarch Construction & Supplies Corp.
- Wawao Builders
- MG Samidan Construction
- L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc.
- Road Edge Trading & Development Services
The Senate launched its own investigation on the anomalous flood control projects funded by the government. During the most recent Senate flood probe, controversial contractor Sarah Discaya admitted that the owns 9 construction firms and there are instances when they bid for the same DPWH projects.
- Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.
- St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corp.
- St. Timothy Construction Corp.
- St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp.
- Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.
- Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor, and Development Corp.
- YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply Inc.
- Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc., and
- Way Maker One Person Corp.
The Bureau of Customs has taken the custody of all 28 luxury cars of the Discayas. The contractor’s license of all the construction firms of the controversial couple, Curlee and Sarah Discaya, were also revoked. Amid the issue, Pres. Bongbong Marcos wants an independent commission to probe into the anomalous government infrastructures.
Recently, presidential cousin and House Speaker Martin Romualdez spoke on his support to fight the alleged government corruption and hold the people behind these illegal activities accountable. Based on a report on GMA News, the House Speaker made it clear that the chamber will never tolerate corruption.
According to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the lower chamber will not condone in any area of the government whether it is national or local. He also stressed that allegations of wrongdoings must really be under investigations.
“Let me be clear: the House of the People will never condone corruption, whether in public works, local governance, or any other area of government service. Allegations of wrongdoing must be investigated thoroughly and addressed decisively,” Romualdez said.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez further expressed that he fully supports the initiatives for “independent scrutiny and fair prosecution” to make sure that those who are involved in corrupt practices will be held accountable under the law. Based on the report, the House Speaker cited the steps taken by the 20th Congress to introduce reforms in the budget process for the strengthening of public accountability and restoration of public trust:
- Greater transparency in budget hearings and bicameral deliberations with proceedings open to the public and livestreamed.
- Stricter oversight of lump-sum and unprogrammed appropriations, requiring detailed justifications from agencies before such funds can be approved or released
- Enhanced citizen participation and CSO engagement, empowering watchdog groups and stakeholders to help monitor projects and spending.
- Adopting budget modernization measures, such as the proposed Budget Modernization Act, to ensure a performance-based, cash-based, and results-oriented spending framework.
Amid the issue of anomalous flood control projects in the Philippines, Pres. Bongbong Marcos wants a “subpoena power” for the independent commission that will probe the anomalous infrastructures funded by the people’s money.