Criminal charges against Speaker Romualdez and other lawmakers are set to be filed by Davao 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez over alleged irregularities in the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
Alvarez will be joined in filing the complaint by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Citizens Crime Watch (CCW) president Diego Magpantay, and other concerned parties.
The former House Speaker claims that unauthorized fund allocations were inserted into the national budget without approval from the bicameral conference committee.
The case could be filed as soon as possible, according to Alvarez.
However, some House officials have defended the amendments made to the budget bill.
House Appropriations Committee acting head and Marikina Representative Stella Luz Quimbo maintained that proper procedures were followed in the bicameral process, contrary to the criticisms raised.
Quimbo also asserted that the enrolled bill contains no blank pages, emphasizing that it is publicly accessible in the House Archives for verification.
She urged critics to visit the archives themselves, assuring that a comparison between the General Appropriations Bill and the Bicameral Conference Committee Report would confirm the document’s completeness.