Navotas City Lone District Representative Toby Tiangco expressed surprise on Wednesday following former House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s sudden decision to address the ongoing flood control scandal, noting that the Leyte 1st District Representative had long avoided the public eye regarding the controversy.
In a televised interview, Tiangco highlighted that Romualdez—a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—had maintained a strict silence since the allegations of irregularities in government flood control projects first surfaced.
“Tagal ‘yan na nahimik eh, ‘di ba? From the start of this controversy, never naman siya naglabas ng statement. Hindi naman siya nagpapainterview and up now, hindi siya nagpapainterview,” Tiangco remarked. “So, nagulat ako na naglabas siya ng statement.”
The former Speaker’s unexpected emergence via an 11-minute video statement followed a string of high-profile developments, most notably the arrest of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, which was initially announced by the President.
Tiangco suggested that the timing of these events appears interconnected rather than coincidental.
“I don’t think also it’s a coincidence na biglang after nahuli si Zaldy Co, after (three) days, naghingi na siya ng … travel authority to have a medical check-up out of the country,” the Navotas lawmaker said.
“Tapos, biglang hindi pinayagan ni Ombudsman Boying Remulla. At saka, biglang nagsalita. Para sa akin, magkakadugtong ‘yung mga bagay.”
Records show that Romualdez sought travel clearance in a letter dated Monday addressed to his successor, House Speaker Faustino Dy III.
He requested to travel to Singapore from April 20 to May 24 to undergo a “long overdue follow-up” on an angioplasty surgery.
Tiangco further pointed to Romualdez’s own words in the video, where the former Speaker claimed there were attempts to “weaponize individuals” to build a narrative against him.
“So, siya mismo nagsabi na parang gagamitin si Zaldy Co para gumawa ng statement against him,” Tiangco noted.
Breaking his months-long silence on Tuesday, Romualdez asserted that he would not be used as a “fall guy” to shield others from corruption allegations.
“I will not allow myself to be turned into the scapegoat so that others who are actually accountable can walk away clean,” Romualdez stated in his video address.