Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez asked the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday to suspend House Speaker Martin Romualdez and three other lawmakers for graft and falsification of legislative documents over the alleged P241 billion worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.

Alvarez, along with lawyers Ferdie Topacio and Jimmy Bondoc, a PDP-Laban senatorial candidate, the non-governmental organization Citizen’s Crime Watch, and “et al” filed the motion before the Office of the Ombudsman. Alvarez’s office shared a portion of the document with the media.

Aside from Romualdez, Alvarez and his co-petitioners likewise sought the suspension of House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, former House appropriations committee chairperson and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, and acting appropriations committee chair Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo.

Reporters sought Romualdez’s office for reaction, but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

On February 10, Alvarez and co-petitioners filed two counts of falsification of legislative documents and 12 counts of graft against Romualdez, Dalipe, Co, and Quimbo.

Two others were referred to as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” in the complaint sheet. Romualdez and the three lawmakers also face the same complaints for alleged violation of Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

In explaining the grounds of the complaints, Topacio said the alleged “insertions” in the national budget reportedly occurred 12 times. He also said that they based the complaints on the bicameral conference committee report of the 2025 national budget.

Reprinted with permission from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.