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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Acidre claps back at Tiangco, says ICI didn't pitch plunder raps vs Romualdez

Acidre claps back at Tiangco, says ICI didn't pitch plunder raps vs Romualdez

Published Mar 24, 2026 12:32 pm  |  Updated Mar 24, 2026 01:48 pm

At A Glance

  • Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre says statements from the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) disputes Navotas City lone district Rep. Tobias "Toby" Tiangco's claims against former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre (left), Navotas City lone district Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre (left), Navotas City lone district Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco (MANILA BULLETIN, Facebook)


Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre says statements from the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) disputes Navotas City lone district Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco's claims against former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
According to Acidre, the ICI's pronouncements confirmed that it neither found liability nor recommended the filing of plunder charges against Romualdez in connection with the flood control projects corruption scandal.
Acidre anchored his statement on the language of the ICI’s own referral, which stated: “This referral is issued without any finding or conclusion of guilt or liability on the part of former Speaker Martin Romualdez.”
“The [ICI] has now affirmed what I stated from the outset: Rep. Toby Tiangco was misleading the public when he claimed that the ICI recommended the filing of plunder charges against former Speaker Martin Romualdez. There is no such recommendation,” Acidre said in a statement Tuesday, March 24.
The ICI document, he stressed, contained no reference to any recommendation to file plunder charges. This contradicted Tiangco’s earlier assertion linking Romualdez to alleged wrongdoing in connection with flood control projects.
Acidre explained that the ICI functions as a fact-finding body under Executive Order (EO) No. 94, with the mandate to recommend appropriate cases to proper authorities, but emphasized that no such recommendation was made in this instance.
“Two critical points must be underscored. First, the ICI is a fact-finding body, created under [EO] No. 94, mandated to recommend the filing of appropriate cases before the proper authorities. In this case, it made no such finding,” he said.
“Second, the referral was made precisely to allow the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct its own independent investigation—because no determination of liability has been made by the Commission itself,” noted the second-term congressman.
Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (PPAB)
Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (PPAB)
He reiterated: “Walang rekomendasyon na kasuhan si Speaker Romualdez ng plunder gaya ng sinasabi ni Rep. Toby Tiangco (There was no recommendation to file plunder charges against Speaker Romualdez, as claimed by Rep. Toby Tiangco.)
Tiangco--like Acidre and Romualdez--is part of the House majority bloc. However, he has been more open to criticizing the Marcos administration in recent months, specifically over the flood control projects mess.
Acidre warned that misrepresenting official documents risks eroding public trust in institutions tasked with independent review.
“This kind of reckless misrepresentation undermines public trust in independent institutions and misleads the Filipino people,” he said.
The Tingog solon added that in other cases, the ICI had expressly recommended the filing of charges against identified individuals, but never had this happened to the two-time former Speaker.

Related Tags

Martin Romualdez Toby Tiangco ICI
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