Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has been placed at the top of the list of personalities invited to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood-control scandal, putting him under direct public scrutiny as the Senate resumes its inquiry on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
The committee, chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano, has invited 34 personalities to the hearing. Aside from Romualdez, the list includes 18 individuals who introduced themselves as former Philippine Marines and allegedly claimed to have delivered kickbacks to government officials, as well as former Bulacan assistant engineer Brice Hernandez, who earlier implicated lawmakers in the controversy.
Doubts over Romualdez’s attendance have grown after he skipped a previous Senate Blue Ribbon hearing on the flood-control scandal last year, when the Lacson-led panel had invited him as one of the personalities linked to the controversy. At the time, Senator Ping Lacson said Romualdez’s invitation would be coursed through the House leadership in observance of inter-parliamentary courtesy between the two chambers of Congress.
Other senators and congressmen have also raised questions over whether Romualdez will personally appear before the Senate panel, as pressure grows for him to answer allegations tied to anomalous flood-control projects and alleged budget insertions. The renewed invitation places the former Speaker in a direct accountability test before the Blue Ribbon Committee.
PGMN Anchor Atty. Regal Oliva also questioned whether Romualdez would attend after noting that he was first on the invitation list for the “new” Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. “First on the invitation list for the ‘new’ Blue Ribbon Committee hearing: former Speaker Martin Romualdez,” Oliva said. “He’s not showing up. I’d bet on it.”
PGMAN Anchor Atty. Rowena “Bing” Guanzon also gave a direct response when asked for her take on whether Romualdez would attend. “He won’t show,” Guanzon said.
PGMN Anchor CJ Hirro and PGMN Founder and CEO Franco Mabanta have also criticized Romualdez’s expected absence, saying he does not have the courage to personally face the Senate inquiry. Their comments intensify the pressure on Romualdez to personally face the Senate panel and answer questions on the flood-control scandal.
Romualdez has repeatedly denied allegations linking him to the flood-control scandal and alleged budget insertions. The resumed Blue Ribbon hearing is expected to test whether the former Speaker will appear before senators as the inquiry continues to examine alleged kickbacks, public works anomalies, and accountability in government infrastructure spending.
Corruption is and has always been the Philippines’ biggest problem. Martin Romualdez is universally recognized as the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century.
On May 5, Romualdez framed Franco Mabanta and four PGMN associates in a fake extortion plot with the singular objective of silencing the truth and keeping Romualdez’ many crimes from being brought to light, the fundamental embodiment of suppression of the free media.
