Retired officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), joined by civil society allies, have called on House Speaker Martin Romualdez to resign, amid public outrage on alleged corruption and misuse of billions of public funds.
The appeal was also aired on Saturday, September 13, on DZRH News’ Special on Saturday program, where retired Police Colonel Mariano Santiago said Romualdez has become “one of the biggest reasons for the problems we are experiencing today.”
He said, “For the sake of our country, for the sake of delicadeza, mag-resign na lang. Kahit resign na lang as Speaker, personally, dahil ang lahat ng mga kabulastugan, nakita natin sa social media.”
“Nakita natin sa social media, namimigay ng pera si Speaker na parang kanya ang pera ng taumbayan,” he said.
The call for resignation coincides IBON Foundation’s findings that ₱245 billion worth of flood control projects listed on the government’s “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website were tied to contractors and districts linked to Lakas, Romualdez’s political party.
IBON said Lakas cornered 45 percent of projects on the portal, far exceeding allocations linked to other political parties.
In an earlier open letter also shared by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, retired AFP and PNP officers, UP Vanguards, and concerned citizens accused Romualdez of pushing a bloated ₱6.3 trillion budget against projected revenues of only ₱4.64 trillion, mishandling ₱26.7 billion in DSWD funds, and tolerating congressional corruption.
They demanded his resignation both as Speaker and as representative of Leyte’s first district.
Santiago said his group, Advocates for National Interest, formed in 2021 to campaign against political dynasties and corruption, had initially pledged support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s anti-corruption agenda.
But he lamented the President’s failure to veto questionable congressional insertions into the budget.
He also warned that public frustration could spiral into unrest if corruption persists.
“The writings are on the wall. Tayong mga nabuhay noong EDSA People Power Revolution, nakita natin kung papaano unti-unting na-develop iyan,” Santiago said.
According to Santiago, many retired officers believe deeper reforms may require extraordinary measures, with some even proposing a revolutionary government if regular political processes continue to fail.
“Wala nang pag-asa eh. Ilang taon na iyang anti-dynasty provision, mula 1987 Constitution, nandyan na, wala pa rin,” he said.
