Navotas City Lone District Representative Toby Tiangco declared that the credibility of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s campaign against corruption hinges on whether legal action will be taken against his cousin, former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez.
Speaking during a television interview, Tiangco described the scenario as a defining benchmark for the administration’s integrity, stressing that pursuing lower-level targets will not convince the public of a genuine crackdown.
“Dapat. Dapat. ’Pag hindi, hindi ko… ’pag hindi makasuhan ’yan… sa’yo dapat.”
Tiangco asserted that citizens will judge the anti-corruption initiative not by the number of prosecuted Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contractors or engineers, but by whether accountability reaches top political figures like Romualdez.
“Number one, number one ’no, uh ang pinakaimportante kasi is ’yung biggest fish ’no? Na si former Speaker Martin Romualdez ’no?”
“It doesn’t matter kung ilan ’yung DPWH na engineer mapakulong niya, contractor na mapakulong niya. Kung hindi niya mapakulong si former Speaker Martin Romualdez.”
The lawmaker also highlighted an asylum application currently pending in France involving an individual identified as “Saldi,” pointing out that the outcome could significantly influence the growing controversial situation. He cautioned that failing to charge Romualdez could spark widespread suspicions regarding the former Speaker’s leverage over the current leadership.
“Kung hindi ma-filan ng plunder si dating Speaker Martin Romualdez, ano iisipin ng tao?”
“Ang iisipin ng tao is baka naman may hawak siya laban sa inyo because of what he said na ‘I will not go down alone’ at marami siyang alam.”