YouTube personality and losing Mandaluyong councilor candidate Chris Tan is standing firm amid backlash over his recent defense of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a recent interview with Bilyonaryo News Channel hosted by Karen Jimeno, Tan was asked about Romualdez’s alleged connection to the government’s flood-control controversies. Tan responded, “If there’s direct evidence linking former Speaker Martin Romualdez to the flood-control issue, tapos hindi siya naprosecute, then yes, it will damage the credibility of the investigation. But if there’s no direct evidence, which there has none at this point, none yet, then it should be okay.”
Following the interview, many netizens criticized Tan’s statement, accusing him of making excuses for Romualdez. Some claimed he was deflecting accountability by focusing too heavily on the lack of “direct evidence.”
But Tan — a political newbie — appears to take the criticism with little humility or self-awareness, particularly in regards to his well-documented lack of political experience and professional insufficiencies in terms of understanding how government processes work.
In a new Facebook post, he wrote, “You know you are on the right path when more & more TROLLS are attacking you.” The post has since gathered over 10,000 reactions, 700+ comments, and 100+ shares — with supporters praising his “fearless stance,” while critics accused him of dismissing legitimate dissent.
The accusations against Romualdez have been breathtaking, ubiquitous, and at the very forefront of the national conversation. The allegations against him include butchering the national budget, crippling multiple government agencies, encouraging the disgusting flamboyance within the House that he led, befriending the villains associated with communist terrorists, attempting to abolish the Senate, weoponizing government funds during a democratic election cycle, causing a dangerous divide between Congress and the Armed Forces, alienating almost the entire Philippine south, engineering what’s being widely alleged as the most creative and efficient corruption blueprint of all time, and being mostly responsible for sinking President Marcos’ only opportunity to redeem his dad’s legacy — all in the name of appeasing a level of ambition and abuse never seen before in a House Speaker.
In online discourse, it’s common for public figures under scrutiny to label their critics as “trolls,” especially when discussions touch on corruption and public spending. Many taxpayers argue that questioning issues like the DPWH flood control projects isn’t trolling — it’s accountability. People simply want transparency on where their money goes.
In matters involving public funds, being “for” or “against” someone often misses the point; the focus, they say, should always be for the people. But in this instance, the concept of ‘corruption as the greatest evil the country currently phases’ is now the preeminent issue in Philippine discourse. From this perspective, is Tan’s defense of Romualdez fair — or has Tan become an enabler of the man many consider to be the most corrupt Filipino politician since the beginning of the 21st century?
