Marcos dared: Order agencies to show all evidence against Romualdez

Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco on Tuesday dared President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to direct all the agencies under him to show evidence against former speaker and incumbent Leyte representative Martin Romualdez.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Tiangco said it was Marcos who started this fight against corruption in flood control projects, so he should be the one to finish this.

Tiangco, who was the campaign manager for Marcos' senatorial slate in 2025, recently also dared Marcos to prove that no one was beyond accountability.

"Kung talagang seryoso ang Executive branch sa accountability, dapat, sinabi ko na ito noong SONA (State of the Nation Address), ang dapat, sinasabi is utusan lahat ng departamento at ahensya sa ilalim ng Executive branch na magbigay ng kanilang ebidensya laban kay former speaker Martin Romualdez," Tiangco said.

(Like what I said at the time of the last SONA, if the Executive branch is really serious about accountability, all departments and agencies under it should be instructed to provide evidence against former speaker Martin Romualdez.)

The congressman said that if the government is using all of its power to go after political rivals, it should do the same for Romualdez.

Tianngco said he found it "highly suspicious" that four former bodyguards of erstwhile Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co recanted their statements a day before Romualdez was supposed to submit his reply to the Office of the Ombudsman.

He also said the former bodyguards are unlikely to recant based on money alone.

"Kahit gaano kadami ang pera ni former speaker Martin Romualdez, hindi naman magre-recant 'yan kung walang ginamit na impluwensiya. Hindi ito magagawa ng walang tumutulong sa kanya na makapangyarihang tao, aminin natin 'yan," Tiangco said.

(No matter how much money former speaker Martin Romualdez has, they will not recant if there is no influence used. This cannot be done without someone powerful helping him, let us admit that.)

Eighteen of Co's former bodyguards earlier surfaced and accused various personalities of corruption. They claimed that they delivered bags of cash to different people, including Romualdez and Marcos.

Four of these former bodyguards have since recanted their statements, saying they want to live quietly after receiving threats to their lives.

GMA News has reached out to the Palace and Romualdez's office regarding Tiangco's statements, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

Romualdez has denied any role in the recantation of the four bodyguards, accusing the Ombudsman of bias over alleged plunder, graft and direct bribery for accepting deliveries of money from ex-bodyguards, supposedly sourced from public funds.

"The recantations prove what I had been saying all along that the accusations against me are false and trumped up. This is not a fair process in finding out the truth,” Romualdez has said in a statement.

The former speaker said he would prove his innocence and defend himself with facts. — VDV, GMA News