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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lawyer says ICI hasn't found any guilt, liability on Romualdez

Lawyer says ICI hasn't found any guilt, liability on Romualdez

Published Nov 24, 2025 01:11 pm

At A Glance

  • The camp of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez believes in the impartiality of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) even as it pursues cases against the former House Speaker.
Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (PPAB)
Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (PPAB)


The camp of Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez believes in the impartiality of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) even as it pursues cases against the former House Speaker.
This, after Romualdez's legal counsel, lawyer Ade Fajardo highlighted that the commission made no conclusion of guilt or liability on his client in its referral to the Office of the Ombudsman.
"We acknowledge the referral submitted by the [ICI] to the Office of the Ombudsman on Nov. 21 and welcome the Commission’s completion of its fact-gathering mandate. We respect the ICI’s commitment to transmit all gathered evidence to the Office of the Ombudsman for further evaluation," Fajardo said in a statement Monday, Nov. 24.
The lawyer noted that the referral incorporates all pieces of evidence presented by former Speaker Romualdez. These include his sworn affidavit, complete transcripts, and the full audio-video recording of his voluntary appearance before the commission last Oct. 14.
"Importantly, the ICI explicitly states that the Referral 'is issued without any finding or conclusion of guilt or liability on the part of former Speaker Romualdez'," Fajardo said.
"This clear statement reinforces our confidence in the Commission’s impartiality and reinforces the constitutional role of the Ombudsman as the sole authority empowered to make determination on accountability," he noted.
The ICI is acting as the special investigator of sorts on anomalous or "ghost" flood mitigation projects. The Ombudsman is the agency that presses charges based on its findings.
Fajardo further said the Romualdez camp "trust[s] that the Ombudsman will conduct an independent, thorough, and objective review of the evidence submitted".
"From the outset, we have consistently maintained that a fair and complete assessment of the record will reflect the truth," the former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) national president said.
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