MANILA — Former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Atty. Domingo Cayosa said Wednesday that former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s statement on “command responsibility” over the national budget does not directly accuse President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Cayosa said Romualdez’s remarks should be viewed as a theory rather than an allegation.

“Hindi pa ho naman accusation. It’s just a statement of a theory, an assumption. ‘Yung sinasabi niya na ‘yung command responsibility, hindi naman particularly sinasabi na siya (Marcos),” Cayosa said.

He explained that Romualdez did not explicitly point to Marcos in his statement regarding accountability in the budget process.

Despite this, Cayosa said the President cannot fully distance himself from issues surrounding the 2025 national budget, which he signed into law.

“Hindi niya totally [puwedeng] sabihin na, ‘Wala akong kinalaman diyan. Kasi nga sa dokumento eh pinirmahan niya. Ang presumption, dahil Presidente siya, at ang dami niyang mga secretary, mga abogado eh dapat bago niya pinirmahan ay sinuri niya,” he added.

Cayosa made the remarks after Romualdez denied involvement in alleged irregularities in the 2025 budget, stressing there is no evidence linking him to plunder or conspiracy charges.

Romualdez also said that if command responsibility is to be assigned, it should fall on the Executive branch, which oversees implementation of the national budget.

“If corruption were to occur on the scale alleged in recent months, it is clear that it would not happen at the level of general legislative approval alone. It happens at the level of execution of the General Appropriations Act,” Romualdez said.

“That is why command responsibility is more logically attributed to the Executive branch, where there is actual supervision, operational control, and on-the-ground implementation, rather than to a collegial legislative body whose constitutional role is deliberation and appropriation,” he added.

Cayosa said he welcomed Romualdez’s public clarification but urged him to further elaborate and testify under oath if necessary.

He also noted that while the President is immune from criminal suit while in office, he may still be held accountable through impeachment proceedings.

“Habang nakaupo ‘yung Pangulo ay hindi siya puwedeng sampahan ng criminal case. Pero puwede rin siyang managot sa pamamagitan ng impeachment case,” Cayosa said.