MANILA — Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte, 1st District), the president’s cousin and former House speaker, may come under scrutiny for allegedly purchasing expensive property through top flood control contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, Senate officials said.

In a report, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the panel will investigate any connection it may find between Romualdez and the Discayas in upcoming hearings on anomalous flood control projects.

He referred to reports claiming the former House speaker “had purchased a house and lot in a plush subdivision in Makati City using the Discayas as front in the said sale.” Lacson said that if the allegations are true, the government could establish a “direct connection” between Romualdez and the Discayas, who previously admitted being approached by individuals seeking commissions or cuts using Romualdez’s name.

In September 2025, Romualdez denied receiving bribes or kickbacks from the Discayas. The contractors, however, acknowledged giving portions of payments they received for infrastructure projects to some government officials.

Romualdez’s counsel and spokesperson, Ade Fajardo, said his client has “no knowledge nor involvement in the purported transaction” of the house and lot allegedly tied to the Discayas.

“Rep. Romualdez has not met the Discayas and has only heard of them based on what is being said in media reports. As such, the claim in the report about using the Discayas as a front in a property purchase is outright baseless,” Fajardo said.

Political tensions have also emerged. Sen. Imee Marcos expressed disappointment over Lacson’s handling of the Blue Ribbon Committee, accusing him and others of avoiding efforts to implicate Romualdez in Senate investigations.

Lacson responded that if Marcos has evidence of Romualdez’s alleged corruption, she should present it herself to the panel, where she is a member. He added he would give her an hour to speak if needed.

Romualdez has also been accused by former House appropriations chair Elizaldy Co of instructing a P100-billion insertion during the 2025 budget bicameral conference, an order Co said came from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Co claimed Romualdez told him, “What the president wants, gets,” and threatened him if he disclosed the matter. He also alleged cash-filled suitcases were delivered to Romualdez’s home and Malacañang. Romualdez denied these allegations.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is scheduled to resume hearings on January 19, when it will begin scrutinizing the so-called “Cabral files” containing proponents of budget insertions in the National Expenditure Program and the “district allocables.”

Under Romualdez’s speakership, the 2025 national budget became one of the most controversial in recent years, with allegations involving ghost flood control projects, unprogrammed appropriations, pork-like allocations, and programs promoting political patronage.