A House member yesterday welcomed the denial of contractor Pacifico Discaya that he acted as a “front” for former Speaker Martin Romualdez in the alleged purchase of a high-end property in Makati City.
This after Discaya, in a newspaper interview, said he had only seen Romualdez once during an event and had never spoken to him.
“Mr. Discaya’s denial is a welcome development,” said Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre.
“This may finally temper the spread of baseless allegations against those being named without proof,” Acidre added.
“I have only seen the former Speaker in person once, and we didn’t even talk because he was talking to someone else,” said Discaya, who remains detained at the Senate over his alleged links to questionable flood control projects.
To put an end to the speculations, Discaya said he is even willing to have the Makati property listed as part of his restitution.
“Even if my lawyers do not agree with restitution, I will personally allow the property in Makati to be used for restitution to return it to the public,” Discaya said.
Earlier, the lawyer of Romualdez said the former Speaker has “no knowledge nor involvement in the purported transaction,” for the Makati property.
“Rep. Romualdez has not met the Discayas and has only heard of them based on what is being said in media reports. As such, the claim in the report about using the Discayas as a front in a property purchase is outright baseless,” said Ade Fajardo, lawyer and spokesperson of Romualdez.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to resume its inquiry on Jan. 19, which Fajardo said makes it crucial to put on record what has already been stated “clearly and unequivocally” under oath.
He pointed to sworn testimony given before the House of Representatives in September 2025 by Curlee Discaya, who categorically denied any dealings with Romualdez.
Fajardo said Discaya further explained under oath that the Speaker’s name had merely been used or “name-dropped” by others — without any personal knowledge, meeting, or transaction on his part.
“This sworn testimony is part of the official congressional record and directly contradicts the insinuations now being revived in public discourse,” Fajardo said.
“Allegations cannot override testimony given under oath. Facts cannot be replaced by speculation,” he added.
Fajardo also invoked remarks earlier made by Senator Ping Lacson during a media briefing to underscore the primacy of evidence.
“Noise does not convict. Neither does it indict even who may be perceived as the most guilty in the… flood control project saga. Only evidence does,” Lacson said.
