EDITORIAL - Housecleaning

As public anger intensifies over massive corruption in flood control projects and the budget process, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez stepped down yesterday as speaker of the House of Representatives, and was promptly replaced by Isabela Rep. Faustino Dy III.

The leadership change in the House comes just over a week after senators replaced Francis Escudero as Senate president with erstwhile minority leader Vicente Sotto III.

Both Escudero and Romualdez are under fire over issues related to the mangling of the national budget, the flood control mess and the ostentatious display of enormous wealth believed to be ill-gotten by officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, contractors and even some of their children.

Romualdez announced his resignation a day after he reportedly had a meeting with his cousin President Marcos, who has launched a crackdown on corruption in infrastructure projects starting with flood interventions.

The infrastructure mess in turn has been linked to budget insertions made by both congressmen and senators, which produced what critics have described as the most corrupt national budget ever, the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

But the 2024 GAA also faces a legal challenge before the Supreme Court for issues including the impounding of “savings” of government corporations to finance, among other things, the latest incarnation of the congressional pork barrel, the unprogrammed appropriations.

Aggravating the problem is that dozens of lawmakers are reportedly owners – either directly or through their immediate family members – of construction firms that have bagged lucrative deals with the government.

Both Romualdez, in his resignation speech, and Dy after he was sworn in as Speaker acknowledged the erosion of public trust in the House and the need to restore this trust.

Dy’s speech was packed with promises of reforms, as he called on his colleagues to support efforts to restore public trust in the House.

“Under my leadership, this House will change,” Dy vowed.

For the sake of the nation, let’s hope he delivers on his promise, and any meaningful change is sustained.

As in any housecleaning, the one in the legislature must be done regularly, thoroughly and without letup.