Escudero cries being singled out on campaign contribution issue

Former Senate President Francis Escudero (left) and Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Photos from Senate PRIB and House of Representatives’ Facebook account)

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Monday lamented being singled out on the issue regarding the campaign contributions from government contractors.

In his manifestation, Escudero tagged former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez as being behind all of the accusations thrown against him.

Escudero said this is all happening because Romualdez blamed him for the removal of former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co as committee on appropriations chairman, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s move to veto their projects, and the dismissal of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“I was just being honest and did only what was right and proper for the country and the people,” Escudero said in Filipino. “However, despite this, all the slander, defamation, and lawsuits against me and the Senate have begun. And the one behind all this is none other than Martin Romualdez.”

“What did they do to me? First, they rummaged into the issue of a campaign contribution I received from an individual owner of a company that had won a government contract,” he said.

During a House hearing on the flood control probe, Centerways Construction and Development Inc. President Lawrence Lubiano admitted before Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno that he donated P30 million for Escudero’s senatorial campaign.

However, Escudero, citing the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report, noted that “many officials, not just a senator — someone [in] higher [position] even — received the same kind of contribution in the 2022 elections.”

“My question is simple: If what they did was legal and there is nothing wrong with what they did, then shouldn’t what I did be legal and right too? But why am I the only one being investigated about this?” Escudero said.

Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body issued a show cause order against Lubiano.

Previously, Garcia noted that Section 95 (c) of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits campaign contributions from natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or subcontracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or to perform construction or other works.

He noted that, so far, the law only applies to “natural and juridical” campaign contributors, adding “I will not go to the extent of saying and determining whether the liability the culpability extends to the candidate.” /apl