Legislators denounced Sunday the planned complaint against Speaker Martin Romualdez and other senior House leaders, calling it a ‘desperate move’ to divert attention from the pending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega (1st District, La Union) and Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun (1st District, Zambales) dismissed allegations that Romualdez made unauthorized fund insertions into the proposed 2025 national budget.
Also tagged in the complaint were former House appropriations committee chairperson Elizaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list and Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe (2nd District, Zamboanga City). Ortega and Khonghun said the charges are politically motivated and meant to undermine House leadership.
“There is no basis (for these claims), another fantasy and fiction. It is obvious that the goal is to divert public attention from the real issue,” Ortega said. “Don’t use that as a coverup.”
Khonghun echoed the sentiment, saying the complaint is a desperate attempt “to discredit the impeachment process.”
“Speaker Romualdez has been instrumental in ensuring that the rule of law is followed, and now he is being targeted to weaken the case against VP Duterte,” he said.
Ortega warned that politically motivated attacks could backfire and urged the Senate to remain independent in handling the impeachment trial.
“The Senate must not be swayed by political distractions. The people demand transparency and accountability, and they will not be fooled by these diversionary tactics,” he said.