MANILA: The speaker of the Philippines House of Representatives resigned from his position on Wednesday as a corruption investigation into infrastructure projects gained momentum.
Martin Romualdez, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos, told lawmakers he was stepping down with a clear conscience to allow investigations to proceed without undue influence.
His resignation follows that of Senate president Francis Escudero less than two weeks earlier, as both houses of Congress face probes into alleged fund misuse.
Public anger has been growing since President Marcos highlighted so-called ghost infrastructure projects during his July state of the nation address.
Thousands are expected to join the Trillion Peso March in Manila on Sunday to protest an estimated one trillion pesos allegedly misused from climate-related projects since 2023.
Romualdez stated that issues surrounding certain infrastructure projects had raised questions affecting both himself and the institution he served.
He explained that the longer he remained in his position, the heavier that burden would become for the House of Representatives.
Last week, a construction firm accused nearly 30 House members and public works officials of accepting cash payments during a hearing.
Romualdez was mentioned as having approved funding that bypassed normal House oversight procedures.
Congressman Ronaldo Puno revealed that Romualdez had told lawmakers the controversy had become too much to handle while in office.
President Marcos announced on Monday that former Supreme Court justice Andres Reyes would lead a three-person commission investigating flood control projects from the past decade.
The Philippines has a long history of corruption scandals involving public funds, with high-ranking politicians typically avoiding serious jail time.
Senate president Francis Escudero was replaced by Vicente Sotto III last week amid ongoing congressional investigations into the flood control scandal.
Escudero had described allegations linking him to a top flood control contractor as a demolition job aimed at removing him from leadership. – AFP
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