House Speaker Martin Romualdez has stepped down from his post, confirming weeks of speculation about his future in Congress amid the controversy over flood control projects.
Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno revealed in an interview with DZMM that Romualdez gathered lawmakers on Tuesday to announce his decision. “Kahapon, pinatawag kami ng ating Speaker Martin Romualdez at sinabihan niya kami na balak na niyang magbitiw sa kanyang pwesto ngayong araw na ito,” Puno said. He added that Romualdez recommended Deputy Speaker and Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III as his preferred successor.
Puno said the Speaker’s decision was voluntary and had been considered “weeks ago,” but the deepening controversy finally pushed him to act. “Masyado na daw ang kontrobersya. Gusto niyang ipagtanggol ang reputasyon ng Mababang Kapulungan,” Puno explained, noting that lawmakers tried to dissuade him for fear of destabilizing the chamber during turbulent times.
The move comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that his cousin Romualdez and their allies would “not be spared” from an independent probe into questionable infrastructure projects. The scandal has linked the Speaker and former House Appropriations chair Zaldy Co to billions of pesos worth of alleged irregular insertions.
By Tuesday night, Romualdez’s office was already being cleared out, with items including his nameplate reportedly removed in preparation for the leadership shift.
