THE SUPPOSED arrest of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez is about to change the political landscape when he finally speaks up on who really is the mastermind behind the so-called flood control scandal.
If my memory serves me right, it was in April when Romualdez said that he would not be “made the scapegoat while those actually accountable walked away clean; if a political play was meant to push him out and close the story, he would not go quietly or alone.”
That warning alone is an indication that there is more beyond the flood control scandal. It is also an admission that the anomalous scheme is well-planned and orchestrated by a syndicate.
But who actually would he drag in his downfall? For one, the dubious scheme would not have been possible if not for the “blessing” of somebody more powerful than him.
There are only two politicians whose position is higher than his in the government structure — the president and the vice president.
The president is his cousin. The vice-president is his archnemesis of the vice-president whom he himself demolished during his stint as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Romualdez would never want to have anything to do with Vice President Sara Duterte, who under the 1987 Constitution is basically a “spare tire” is the event that the chief executive could no longer function for whatever reason there is.
If there’s one person that Romualdez would cooperate with, it would have only been President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who as his cousin did nothing to protect him from Ombudsman Crispin Remulla’s wrath.
That alone is more than enough reason for me to believe that the former House Speaker’s warning on his downfall is addressed to Marcos. Yes, he’ll be dragging down Marcos Jr. too.
If that happens, Marcos Jr. is headed to a similar fate with that of his father Marcos Sr. — and Remulla would not dare lift his finger to stop that from happening with his ambitious brother Jonvic setting sight to becoming president.