As I write this piece, Speaker Martin Romualdez has resigned. On the eve of his departure, he had cleaned his office of everything including the door sign that declares:
FERDINAND MARTIN GOMEZ ROMUALDEZ
Speaker House of Representatives In the morning after, Romualdez delivered his swan song denying all allegations he is in the vortex of unprecedented corruption in the scandalous awards of tens of billions of pesos worth of flood control projects which is the centerpiece program of the administration of his cousin and namesake, Pres. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, Rep. Zaldy Co, had left the country on board his private jet, that took him to New York for alleged health check up from erratic blood pressure. In normal times, such condition could easily be addressed by Bong Go’s Malasakit Center.
Zaldy Co had his comeuppance. He has been very active in the demonizing VP Sara over her ₱125-million Confidential and Intelligence Funds. In the reversals of fortunes he scooted out of the country when ghost and substandard flood control projects were unearthed. The Bicol Congressman, by the way, is not far away from home as he owns a penthouse overlooking the Central Park in downtown New York City. If you think that’s all there is to it, the family also owns a villa in glitzy Paris.
Based on the various probes findings by the Senate and the House including those which had been discovered by the newly appointed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, Sunwest Construction and Development Corp. and St. Timothy Construction Company bagged the biggest number of contracts. The firms are owned by Zaldy Co and the Discaya family respectively. While Zaldy Co had divested from Sunwest, he remains to be the beneficial owner. His family members are members of the said corporation.
For now Co moves around in NYC in luxury cars and for all we know may fly to Paris in his private jet to rendezvouz with his wife to enjoy winter while Filipinos are raging in the winter of discontent.
Like Co, the ex-Speaker is not to be out-shine by his buddy. Martin Romualdez has a fetish for luxury jets which nobody knew or dare to talk about. Well what do you know. Like the hundreds of ghost and substandard flood mitigating projects which struck the nation with something stronger than a thunderbolt, it was unearthed that Martin also owns two Gulfstream Executive jets.
Of course the list of real estate assets of Romualdez is another story. We have to wait until the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure will have the gumption to summon the President’s cousin to the investigating table.
The time is running short and so is the temper of angry people who are now pouring out of the streets. They are crying for justice and if left unanswered might proceed to undertake a radical solution.
