FORMER House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Saturday denied any involvement in alleged budget insertions and infrastructure irregularities, stressing that no official, contractor, or sworn witness has ever linked him to any wrongdoing.
“My conscience remains clear,” Romualdez said in a press statement following revelations made by former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co linking him and President Ferdinand Marcos to budget controversies.
He dismissed the claims circulating outside formal investigations.
He specifically questioned statements of Co, emphasizing that remarks made outside sworn proceedings “do not hold water in the court of law.”
At the same time, Romualdez called for calm and sobriety amid the political uproar, urging the public and political actors to respect due process.
He expressed full confidence in institutions like the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of the Ombudsman to examine evidence objectively, and reiterated his willingness to cooperate with any lawful inquiry.
The Leyte lawmaker’s statement comes as the political climate grows tense with accusations and counterclaims, with Romualdez aiming to redirect attention toward verified facts and proper institutional processes rather than public mudslinging.
