Blue Ribbon panel to probe alleged Romualdez-Discaya link –Lacson

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said Wednesday that the Blue Ribbon Committee will look into claims that former Speaker Martin Romualdez supposedly used contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya as “front” to buy a high-end property in Makati City.

Lacson, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said that he is trying to set up a meeting with the previous owner of the house and lot to determine if there is a direct connection between Romualdez and the Discayas. 

“We would like to clarify persistent reports that former Speaker Martin Romualdez had purchased a house and lot in a plush subdivision in Makati City using the Discayas as front. In the said sale, if verified to be true, this could possibly establish a direct connection between the former Speaker and the Discayas,” the senator said in a Kapihan sa Senado forum. 

“Para pagkatiwalaan mo ‘yung isang contractor na nasasangkot…sa P207.5 billion na kontrata mula 2016 hanggang 2025, napakalaki. So kung merong connection, dapat maliwanagan natin, kung bakit ganon kalakas para ipagkatiwala mo ‘yung pagbili ng isang house and lot sa isang sikat na subdivision sa Makati City,” he added. 

(It must be explained why there was a huge trust in a contractor linked to huge contracts worth P207.5 billion from 2016 to 2025. So if there is a connection, we want to know why Romualdez would entrust to them the purchase of a house and lot in a popular subdivision in Makati City.) 

Should it be proven that Romualdez has links with the Discayas, Lacson said that this could imply that the two parties may have deeper transactions. 

GMA News Online reached out to the camp of Romualdez for comment regarding Lacson's claim and will update this story once he responds.

Lacson, however, clarified that the Senate will still observe the inter-parliamentary courtesy with Romualdez, who is the incumbent representative of Leyte province. 

“Pwede lang namin silang imbitahan, hindi pwedeng pilitin, through the House Speaker. Pero kung ayaw nilang mag-attend, wala rin kaming magagawa. Kasi gano’n din ang dapat na tratong ginagawa nila sa amin dahil nga sa umiiral na inter-parliamentary courtesy between the two Houses,” he explained. 

(We can only invite them through the House Speaker, but we cannot force them to go here. If they don't want to attend, we can't do anything about that. Because that's how they should treat us also based on the inter-parliamentary courtesy between the two Houses.) 

Romualdez has repeatedly denied involvement in securing commissions from flood control projects as alleged by the Discayas during the previous Senate blue ribbon committee hearing.

In November, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recommended to the Ombudsman the filing of plunder, graft, and bribery charges against Romualdez and resigned Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co. —AOL, GMA Integrated News