Former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez brushed off Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s privilege speech on Monday, branding it as nothing more than a “DDS script” filled with recycled allegations.
Romualdez said he carefully listened to Escudero’s address at the Senate, where the senator accused him of orchestrating a ploy to shift public attention away from House members implicated in the flood control scandal and redirect it toward senators.
“I listened to the privilege speech of Sen. Chiz Escudero. With respect, what we heard was not an exposé but a DDS script — the same recycled accusations we have long seen on troll pages and social media posts. Walang bago, at wala ring katotohanan,” Romualdez stressed.
He added that Escudero failed to address the allegations against himself, saying: “Instead of answering the serious questions he himself must face, Sen. Escudero chose to deflect. He did not deny the allegations against him. He did not explain his own role in flood-control kickbacks. Imbes na magpaliwanag, nanisi siya.”
Romualdez further alleged that Escudero’s speech was not meant to uphold accountability but to “profess loyalty and service” to Vice President Sara Duterte, positioning himself as her ally for the 2028 elections.
Escudero, meanwhile, accused Romualdez of staging a “sarswela” to pit senators against one another and divert public outrage away from House lawmakers. He argued that witnesses continued to drop senators’ names despite what he said was the absence of direct proof linking them to the alleged anomalies.
Both Romualdez and Escudero previously held leadership posts in Congress before the flood control controversy escalated. The scandal, condemned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his last State of the Nation Address, has since triggered investigations after projects were found to be substandard or nonexistent despite being declared complete.
Romualdez has denied claims from contractor-couple Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya linking him to alleged kickbacks, calling their accusations “false, malicious and nothing more than name-dropping.” He maintained that he is ready to cooperate with ongoing probes.
