By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez is planning to step down, his deputy said on Wednesday, a move that could cap a leadership shakeup in Congress amid mounting backlash over bogus flood control projects.
Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo V. Puno said Mr. Romualdez had urged party leaders in the House of Representatives to support Isabela Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III as his successor and help him steer the 317-member chamber through mounting scrutiny of anomalous flood control infrastructure.
“Every time we party leaders meet, Speaker Martin often mentions that he’s seriously considering stepping down,” he told DZMM radio in Filipino. “He says the controversy has become too much, and he wants to defend the reputation of our lower chamber.”
The offices of Mr. Romualdez and Mr. Puno did not immediately reply to separate Viber messages seeking comment.
Mr. Romualdez’s resignation is the culmination of a broader congressional leadership shakeup that had been brewing since early September, and has already triggered a change in Senate leadership, with Senator Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III replacing Francis G. Escudero amid a fallout from the flood control scandal.
Mr. Romualdez on Monday said the House would confront issues, including allegations linking lawmakers to flood control projects, in an open and accountable manner.
The Speaker post carries significant political clout and is traditionally held by an ally of the sitting President. It holds influence over the chamber, where tax measures and the annual national budget originate, and plays a key role in steering administration priorities through the House.
Mr. Dy, 64, is a member of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and returned to Congress after last serving as a lawmaker in the 2000s. He held a single term as vice-governor of Isabela, a northern province where his family maintains political influence.
Mr. Dy’s elevation is seen as a “continuity” move for the Marcos administration and might be aimed at shielding the President’s allies from blowback following backlash over alleged ties to shady infrastructure deals, said Arjan P. Aguirre, who teaches political science at the Ateneo de Manila University.
“The leadership change might be an attempt by the Marcos bloc to preempt any potentially untoward consequences from the ongoing probe into the flood control mess,” he said by telephone.
Reports of anomalies in multibillion-peso infrastructure contracts have ignited public outcry and sparked pockets of protests across the Philippines, a country frequently hit by severe flooding.