House Speaker Martin Romualdez Stepping Down from Post amid Flood Control Accusations
MARTIN ROMUALDEZ – The House Speaker is resigning from his position in the House of Representatives according to Antipolo City 1st District Representative Ronaldo Puno.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have opened investigations on the flood control issue in the Philippines. Not only the officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) but as well as the members of the Senate and the House earned criticisms following the testimony of controversial contractors during a flood probe in the upper chamber.
The Senate and the House of Representatives invited Pacifico and Sarah Discaya who are among those construction companies flagged by Pres. Bongbong Marcos. In a Senate hearing, Sarah Discaya admitted to owning nine (9) construction firms as well as the instances when all her construction companies bid for the same DPWH projects.
Marcos Jr. flagged 15 contractors. According to the President, they got around P100 billion from the total P545-billion spent by the government on flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025. He also exposed that some contractors even have projects in almost all regions across the nation.
- 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
During a Senate flood probe, Pacifico and Sarah Discaya brought a joint affidavit that accused several DPWH and government officials of allegedly receiving kickback from the flood control projects. House Speaker Martin Romualdez was one of those names mentioned in the said claim. According to the Discayas, the Speaker and Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co received 30% from the flood control projects.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez immediately junked the accusation of the Discayas saying that he is “self-made”. According to him, he does not need and will not allow himself to be corrupted by the money that is not his.
Amid the accusation and some calls for the Speaker to resign, several House members maintained that “there is no change in leadership” and they support House Speaker Martin Romualdez to remain in the position.
However, recently, countless people were left in doubts by the reports that there is a looming change in the House leadership. Recently, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Antipolo City 1st District Rep. Ronaldo Puno confirmed that House Speaker Martin Romualdez is resigning from his position.
Speaking to DZMM, Antipolo City 1st District Rep. Ronaldo Puno said that House Speaker Martin Romualdez called for a meeting. He announced his decision to resign from his position as House Speaker and he also informed them about his recommendation on who will take his position in the House of Representatives.
“Kahapon, pinatawag kami ng ating Speaker Martin Romualdez at sinabihan niya kami na balak na niyang magbitiw sa kanyang pwesto ngayong araw na ito, so rinekomenda niya sa mga party leaders na kung pwede iboto namin si Deputy Speaker Bojie Dy at tulungan siya, ‘yung rekomendado ni Speaker Martin para sa epektibong pamamahala ng ating Kamara,” the Antipolo Representative said.
Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno said that House Speaker Martin Romualdez made the decision to resign from his position voluntarily amid the issue of flood control mess. Based on the report, he stressed that the Speaker wants to defend the reputation of the lower chamber.
“Masyado na daw ang kontrobersya. Gusto niyang ipagtanggol ang reputasyon ng Mababang Kapulungan. Siyempre kami naman ay kinukumbinse siya na wag siyang magbitiw lalong-lalo na dahil dito sa ating panahon ng kaguluhan, hindi maaaring maging unstable ang ating Kamara,” Puno said.
Previously, following the creation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, Marcos Jr. said that House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his allies will not be spared from the flood control probe.