đź“· Speaker Ferdinand Martin RomualdezÂ
Duterte allies filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday, February 10, against House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other lawmakers over the alleged P241 billion worth of “insertions” in the 2025 national budget.
In the complaint filed by Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, the Duterte allies accused Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo of violating Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Alvarez, PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Atty. Jimmy Bondoc, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) president Diego Magpantay, and Atty. Virgilio Garcia jointly filed a 12-count complaint before the Ombudsman.
The complaint “had nothing to do with the impeachment of the vice president,” Alvarez said.
On January 27, former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab submitted a petition for certiorari and prohibition, urging the Supreme Court to declare Republic Act No. 12116, also known as the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), as “unconstitutional.”
Senate President Francis Escudero, for his part, said that they have forwarded the petition challenging the 2025 national budget to the Office of the Solicitor General.
“I already referred the matter to the OSG to handle the case as we usually do,” Escudero said in a Viber message.
“The Senate will but through the OSG who is the legal representative of the Philippine government,” he added.
The controversy began after Duterte and Ungab, a former appropriations committee chair, highlighted concerns regarding blank items in the 2025 budget.
Romualdez’s camp has yet to issue their comment. (TCSP)
