MANILA — The camp of former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Friday rejected the Office of the Ombudsman’s suggestion that he exercised “functional control” over the national budget process, insisting that no single official has the power to dictate how government funds are allocated and approved.
The statement came as the Ombudsman continues its investigation into alleged irregularities involving flood control projects and prepares possible cases linked to what it described as a potential conspiracy to defraud the national treasury.
Romualdez spokesperson Elaine Atienza disputed assertions that the former Speaker wielded influence over the budget process sufficient to make him accountable for alleged anomalies.
“Linawin po natin: there is no such thing as ‘functional control’ over the budget process,” Atienza said in a statement issued Friday.
She stressed that the national budget undergoes multiple stages of scrutiny and approval involving both the legislative and executive branches.
“Hindi po ginagawa ng iisang tao ang national budget. Hindi ito hawak ng iisang opisina lamang, at lalong hindi ito kayang diktahan o kontrolin ng House Speaker,” she said.
Atienza explained that budget proposals originate from government agencies before being consolidated into the National Expenditure Program and submitted to Congress.
She noted that the proposed budget is separately reviewed and deliberated upon by the House of Representatives and the Senate, with differences reconciled through the Bicameral Conference Committee before the final measure is transmitted to the President for approval or possible line-item veto.
“Sa madaling sabi, ang national budget ay hindi ginagawa ng iisang tao, iisang opisina, o iisang institusyon lamang. Dumadaan po ito sa isang mahaba, masusi, at multi-layered na proseso,” she said.
The Romualdez camp said allegations portraying the former Speaker as the alleged mastermind behind questionable flood control projects are inconsistent with the structure of government and the established budget-making process.
“Kaya po ang paratang na si Rep. Romualdez ay may ‘functional control,’ o mas malala, na siya ang ‘mastermind’ ng buong flood control scheme, ay hindi suportado at hindi tugma sa mismong istruktura ng ating pamahalaan at sa aktwal na proseso ng national budget,” Atienza said.
“‘Wag po nating baluktutin ang katotohanan. Wala pong kakayahan ang Speaker na diktahan ang mga senador, ang Pangulo, o ang sinuman sa proseso ng pagpasa ng budget,” she added.
The camp further maintained that lawmakers do not control the release of government funds, the implementation of projects, or the certification of completed works, arguing that such responsibilities belong to agencies under the Executive branch.
“Accountability must be based on evidence, not theory or opinion. It must be based on what a person actually did, not what people assume his title allowed him to do,” Atienza said.
She also urged the public and investigators to refrain from drawing conclusions not supported by evidence.
“We therefore call for sobriety, fairness, and fidelity to the rules. Sweeping public pronouncements that point to Rep. Romualdez as the grand architect of a collegial and multi-faceted process involving the Executive, the House and the Senate do not help the search for truth. They only reinforce our concern that public narratives are being allowed to run ahead of evidence,” she said.
According to Atienza, Romualdez remains ready to answer all allegations through the proper legal process.
The statement was issued days after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed that his office was preparing cases related to the flood control controversy, including what he described as a possible conspiracy to defraud the national treasury.
Romualdez has repeatedly denied any involvement in budget irregularities and has rejected allegations linking him to the reported flood control anomalies./PN
