‘Senators should be included in lawsuit over 2025 budget’

MANILA, Philippines — Singling out Speaker Martin Romualdez and his House allies in a graft complaint over this year’s budget is suspicious, congressmen said yesterday.

With both houses of Congress approving the budget, senators should be included as respondents in a complaint filed by allies of the Duterte family, 1-Rider party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez noted.

On Monday, former House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and others filed charges of graft and falsification of legislative documents against Romualdez and other congressmen before the ombudsman.

“The Speaker is not even a member of the bicameral conference committee,” House Assistant Majority Leader Pammy Zamora told reporters.

Alvarez being a complainant is ironic since he was silent during budget deliberations, she noted.

The complaint is politically motivated, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said.

With only House leaders as respondents, Dalipe said the complaint “raises serious questions about the true intent behind these allegations.”

“The budget process is a shared responsibility, yet the focus on one chamber alone suggests a deliberate effort to mislead the public and cast doubt on the integrity of the House’s work,” he said.