Remulla on plunder case vs. Martin Romualdez: He is big fish

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Monday that government prosecutors filed a case against a big fish, with plunder charges against Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez and three others.

“Sa ngayon [siya ang big fish]. At hindi pa naman ito ‘yung huling kaso eh. Sunod-sunod pa ito. At marami pa kaming pa-file-an. Ibang-iba ito,” Remulla said in a press conference.

(He is the big fish for now. This is not the end of cases for him. There will be more, and we will be filing cases against more people. Different cases.)

Ombudsman prosecutors alleged that Romualdez accumulated P7.4 billion worth of kickbacks off government projects from 2022 to 2025 "from contractors, persons and entities with interests in flood control, infrastructure and/or other government projects funded under the General Appropriations Acts for fiscal years 2022 to 2025, which monies were delivered to properties owned by, occupied by, or associated with Romualdez and received by [co-accused Joselyn Tragua] Serenio and other persons acting for and in his behalf."

“Kasi alam naman natin, hindi iba si Martin Romaldez sa akin o sa Presidente o kahit kanino man. Ngunit ito, ito ‘yung aming obligasyon sa bayan na gawin ang tama. Ito lang ang pinatutupad natin dito. Wala ho itong sinisino,” Remulla added.

(Martin is no stranger to me, the President, or anybody. But it is our obligation to do what is just. That is what we are doing here. There are no sacred cows.)

Romualdez is a former colleague of Remulla in the House of Representatives and cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

Likewise, Remulla assured the public that the filing of the plunder case against Romualdez, former House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list , as well as two others are based on strong evidence.

“Wala po itong ginagalang o kaya iniiwasan na pangalanan. Lahat po ito ay base sa ebidensya. Iyon ang mahalaga rito eh. Itong kasong to, talagang nagpapatunay na hindi po kami kumikiling kahit kanino,” he said.

(We are not shying away from anybody. These are all grounded on evidence. This case will prove that we are not protecting anybody.)

“Ang gusto lang namin dito, managot ang dapat managot (What we are after here is accountability),” Remulla added. —AOL, GMA News