The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) has clarified that it never ruled former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez free of liability in the flood control project controversy.
In a statement issued late Monday, March 23, the ICI said it “refutes the interpretation” made by Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre, who claimed that one of the commission’s recommendations to the Ombudsman absolved Romualdez.
The ICI stressed that Acidre had “selectively quoted the referral and presented this excerpt without full context.” The referral, dated November 21, 2025, explicitly recommended Romualdez “for further investigation,” while noting that the document carried “no finding or conclusion of guilt or liability on the part of Former Speaker Romualdez.”
The commission emphasized:
“These statements in the Referral clearly show that the ICI did not make a determination of innocence or guilt on the part of former Speaker Romualdez. It is precisely for this reason that the Commission referred this matter to the Office of the Ombudsman for further investigation.”
ICI reiterated that it is a fact-finding body without prosecutorial powers, operating under Executive Order No. 94, and underscored that all referrals were based on careful evaluation of verified information, testimonies, and documentary evidence.