Former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez has broken his months-long silence over corruption allegations, firmly denying any involvement in plunder and vowing to publicly defend his name.

In a video statement released on social media, Romualdez said he initially chose restraint “out of respect for the legal process” but claimed his silence had been “abused and weaponized.”

“There comes a point when silence is no longer prudence… I will not keep quiet anymore. I will face this head-on, and I will speak with facts because the truth deserves to be heard,” he said.

Romualdez emphasized that he fully cooperated with authorities, including submitting an affidavit and supporting documents, and insisted there is “no evidence” linking him to plunder or conspiracy.

He also announced he is authorizing the public release of his affidavit to allow Filipinos to assess the allegations themselves.

Addressing claims that he masterminded a corruption scheme tied to flood control projects, Romualdez rejected the accusation as “absurd,” stressing that the national budget process is collective and multi-layered, involving both the executive and legislative branches.

“The national budget is not the act of one person… it is the product of a constitutional chain involving the executive, the House, and the Senate,” he explained.

Romualdez further argued that corruption, if any, occurs during project implementation, which falls under executive agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), not Congress.

He maintained that his district in Tacloban has “zero ghost and zero substandard flood control projects" and said records would support this claim.

Calling on the Office of the Ombudsman to pursue evidence objectively, Romualdez warned against “politically engineered narratives” and insisted he would not be used as a scapegoat.

“I will not go quietly and I will not go alone… I will not be the fall guy for other people’s corruption,” he said.