"I will not defend the guilty. I will not shield the corrupt."

With these words, newly-installed Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III of Isabela's 6th district vowed to uphold accountability in the House of Representatives amid the flood control projects corruption scandal that left many of his countrymen outraged.

"Ako po ay kaisa ng ating mahal na Pangulo sa kanyang layunin na linisin ang pamahalaan upang tayo ay bumangon muli (I am an ally of the President in his quest to clean up the government so we can rise again)," Dy said on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 17 during his first speech in plenary as House Speaker.

"Under my leadership, this House will change. I will not defend the guilty. I will not shield the corrupt," declared the erstwhile deputy speaker.

Dy assured the public that the House of Representatives would work to earn back the trust of the people by pursuing budget reforms, ensuring transparency, and helping address corruption in the country’s questionable flood control projects.

Dy took over the Speakership from Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president, Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez. The leadership shake-up took place in the middle of the House's deliberation on the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) or proposed national budget for 2026.

“Ako na ho ang unang magsasabi sa ating mga kababayan: meron kaming pagkukulang. Kami po ay nagpapakumbaba. Nakikiusap po kami na sana bigyan ninyo kami ng pagkakataong ituwid ang mga maling kalakaran at linisin ang aming hanay. Nakikiusap po kami na bigyan ninyo kami ng tsansang makuha muli ang inyong tiwala,” appealed the new Speaker.

(I will be the first to tell our fellow citizens: we have shortcomings. We humbly acknowledge them. We respectfully ask that you give us the opportunity to correct the wrong practices and clean up our ranks. We ask that you give us the chance to regain your trust.)

The long-time public servant emphasized that under his leadership, the House would not tolerate corruption or impunity, would cooperate fully with the Independent Commission of Infrastructure (ICI) that had been tasked by the President to look into anomalous flood mitigation projects.

Taking a cue from President Marcos, he said that "No rank, no ally, no office will be spared from accountability."

"We must strengthen the Oversight Committee and fully cooperate with the Independent Commission of Infrastructure. Our duty is not to protect each other – our duty is to protect the Filipino people,” Dy said.

“Kung meron man pong dapat managot sa mga umuugong na paratang, sisiguraduhin natin na magiging patas ang mga pagdinig. Tayo ay magiging transparent at accountable sa ating mga gawain," vowed the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) stalwart.

The Speaker also explained that budget reforms would be pursued under his leadership with the help of his fellow solons, as he emphasized that the national budget must be aligned with the needs of the people.

“Sa tulong ninyo, sisiguraduhin din natin na ang bawat sentimo na paglalaanan ng badyet sa bawat departamento ay tutugma sa pangangailangan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Pagtulungan nating makapagpasa ng isang maayos at malinis na badyet na mailalaan sa tamang mga programa para sa taumbayan,” said Dy.

(With your help, we will also ensure that every cent allocated in the budget for each department matches the needs of the Filipino people. Let us work together to pass a proper and transparent budget that will be allocated to the right programs for the public.)