Corruption case against Speaker Romualdez is not a diversionary tactic, according to those who filed the complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman.
Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez clarified this after being questioned about the timing of the case, which coincides with the impeachment issues against Vice President Sara Duterte.
He insisted that the criminal and corruption charges against Speaker Romualdez were not meant to divert public attention, emphasizing that the issue predated other controversies.
Alvarez further stated that there is no perfect timing for filing cases against government officials.
“Alam niyo yung sinasabi nilang timing, eh wala namang timing yung criminal case eh. Kung gumawa ka ng krimen, yun ang timing,” (“You know, they keep talking about timing, but there is no such thing as timing in a criminal case. If you commit a crime, that is the timing,”) said Representative Pantaleon Alvarez of the 1st District, Davao del Norte.
Meanwhile, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, one of the complainants, said they took time to file the case because of its complexity.
“Actually matagal na po namin itong pinag-iisipan, kaya lang po kumplikado ang kaso so pinag-aralan pa po namin ito kaya ngayon lang po namin ginawa,” (“Actually, we have been considering this for a long time, but due to the complexity of the case, we had to study it further before proceeding,”) said Atty. Ferdinand Topacio.
As a result, Speaker Romualdez and several others will now face criminal and corruption charges before the Ombudsman.