Speaker not filing cases against accusers

Speaker Martin Romualdez has no plans to file criminal charges against contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya and other accusers who had dragged his name into the multibillion-peso flood control anomaly, the House leader's spokesman Robert Ace Barbers said yesterday.

- By JOSE RODEL CLAPANO

Barbers said Curlee Discaya earlier disclosed he did not have any direct transactions with Romualdez involving the Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction firm's flood control projects.

Without any evidence of Romualdez's alleged involvement in the flood control projects, the allegations remained to be "hearsay," said Barbers, a former Surigao del Norte congressman.

"On the point of Speaker Romualdez filing any charges, I don't think that is being considered at this point. Although we are respecting the statements of other members of Congress where they are filing criminal charges against Mr. Discaya for dragging their names, for as long as there is no evidence presented, it is not being considered," Barbers said in an interview with GMA-7.

Barbers maintained that the House of Representatives under the leadership of Romualdez will not tolerate "wrongdoings" involving congressmen.

"We are not tolerating it. Congress will not and is not tolerating these kinds of things, especially if members of Congress will be involved. We will not cover them up," Barbers said.

He added that Romualdez, as Speaker, immediately created a joint committee called the infra-committee of the House of Representatives to thoroughly investigate the multibillion flood control anomaly.