Philippine House Speaker Martin Romualdez and three other lawmakers face graft and falsification charges over alleged unauthorized budget insertions.
Philippine House Speaker Martin Romualdez and three other lawmakers face charges of graft and falsification of legislative documents stemming from alleged unauthorized insertions of P241 billion into the 2025 national budget.
The complaint, filed with the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) on February 10, 2023, names Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, former Appropriations Committee chairperson Elizaldy Co, and incumbent Appropriations Committee chairperson Stella Luz Quimbo as respondents. The complaint also lists several other individuals, including lawyers James Patrick Romero Bondoc and Ferdinand S. Topacio, Citizens Crime Watch President Diego L. Magpantay, and retired general Virgilio R. Garcia, as respondents. Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon D. Alvarez is leading the charge. The complainants allege that the respondents inserted blank entries worth P241 billion into the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) without proper authorization or approval from the House of Representatives or the Senate. These insertions, they claim, ultimately found their way into the final GAA signed by the President.The complainants argue that these insertions constitute a grave violation of the law, pointing out that the amount is 4,826 times larger than the threshold required for the crime of plunder. They contend that the respondents' claim of typographical errors is untenable given the substantial amount involved. The complaint seeks to hold the respondents criminally liable for 12 counts of falsification of legislative documents under Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code and 12 counts of violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Lawyer Ferdinand S. Topacio, representing the complainants, stated during an interview that the technical working group involved in the budget process should also be investigated. He believes there are other unnamed individuals who acted under the instructions of the named respondents and who could shed light on the circumstances surrounding the alleged insertions
PHILIPPINES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BUDGET GRAFT FALSCIFICATION MARTIN ROMUALDEZ OMNIBUS OMB 2025 BUDGET NATIONAL BUDGET
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