The “downgrading” of Leyte First District Congressman Ferdinand Martin Romualdez from Speaker to simply Congressman must have sent shivers down the spines of many elective officials in Leyte and Samar. Everyone is asking: What happens now? Will the present focus on corruption issues be the start of a shakeup in politics in this part of the country, or more specifically, in the first district of Leyte?
It is a very intriguing question. For the voters of the first district to learn that their Congressman is consistently mentioned in the current efforts to combat corruption and bring the perpetrators to justice, as well as the return of the looted funds to the government, is a surprise.
The present concern that began with President Ferdinand Marcos' State of the Nation speech last July appears to me as the start of political realignments. Voters will gravitate to those who are not corrupt.
This shakeup could occur at the start of 2026, when the charges are filed and the accused are arrested, jailed, and undergo trial. The President of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. , stated on TV that the business sector is surprised that Congressman Romualdez is not yet among the accused. Obviously, the business sector in Manila is more aware of this corruption than most of us in this region are.
Also, a few days ago, there was a news item stating that three of the eleven air assets of former Congressman Zaldy Co are now in Malaysia, supposedly to be sold there.
Now, this verified news that three of these assets are indeed in Malaysia brings to mind the news I received from the local scene. Could it be that these assets in Malaysia are also co-owned by Cong Romualdez? Or that he could own some of them personally through a company set up for the purpose?
Assets are being unloaded and relocated as the march to end corruption progresses. This mode and motive of disposition would leave the government little but the spoils for the government to garnish.
The discussion about the return of assets will be just talk of an actual takeover for disposition by the government, with little to show in terms of accomplishment.
A tale supposedly happened when President Ferdinand Marcos departed for exile in the US on February 25, 1986. A ship docked at Tacloban Port around midnight and unloaded boxes of money. These boxes contained at least 5 million pesos each and were, as the story goes, given to a few prominent families. That was a weird tale, especially when it came to a point where the person who gave it to them wanted it back because it was only given for safety, such as in a bank.
These lucky persons thought these amounts were given to them, so there was nothing to return.
In the present situation, the ill-gotten properties could be dubbed as donated and not sold, as is the case with the air assets in Malaysia. There are ways to handle this matter to the client's satisfaction.
This “horror” story of corruption has run into over a trillion pesos and is just unfolding. However, the people (83 percent, according to a reputable survey) exert popular pressure that will undoubtedly continue, as the problem is nationwide and appears to be occurring in all the approximately 250 congressional districts.
Those who were persuaded not to run in the May 2025 elections could aspire to run this time, especially since 2028 will be a Presidential election and more resources will be available for the campaigns.
At that time, the elections will have choices to show democracy in action. The opposition will not be stifled in this scenario because corruption and high prices of goods will remain major issues that the Administration will be hard-pressed to ignore.
The local political scene will change, but I am not confident that a major change will occur. The DPWH issues could be set aside as the election nears, but they could still be a major source of funding for the campaigns.
However, with the momentum of this call to end corruption growing too fast and strong, even the most veteran politicians cannot prevent it.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonColumn #IAmBack