The Philippines’ national debt has skyrocketed to P16.31 trillion, a 142% increase since 2016, burdening every Filipino with a P199,000 debt. As Mayor Benjamin Magalong warned, corruption-fueled financial “leakages” are bleeding the nation dry. Yet, amidst this crisis, a new scandal has emerged, casting a harsh light on House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and his cousin’s role in the controversial Ayuda fund disbursements. This saga, intertwined with the Romualdez family’s checkered history, raises chilling echoes of the 1986 downfall of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., when the Romualdezes were blamed for abandoning the president in his hour of need.

Reports reveal that 200 lawmakers, now multimillionaires, allegedly received Ayuda funds—P50 million for small provinces and up to P250 million for larger cities—ostensibly tied to their support for Vice President Sara Duterte’s February 2025 impeachment. These funds, meant to aid the poor through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), were reportedly overseen by Romualdez’s cousin, a U.S. citizen and former New York Life insurance agent from Fairfield, California, who relocated to the Philippines after Marcos Jr.’s 2022 election. Her appointment to manage such a critical program, despite no apparent qualifications, reeks of nepotism and mirrors the cronyism of the Marcos Sr. era. Allegations of lawmakers receiving double disbursements and paying commissions to this cousin further taint the process, with whispers of a system where loyalty to Romualdez translates into financial windfalls.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has been shockingly inert, failing to probe these allegations despite its mandate to ensure fiscal transparency. While the COA flagged P73 million in disallowed funds in the Vice President’s office in 2024, its silence on the Ayuda scandal—potentially involving billions—suggests either selective enforcement or fear of confronting Romualdez’s influence. This inaction fuels public distrust, recalling the COA’s struggles during the Marcos dictatorship, when oversight was stifled to shield powerful allies.

The Romualdez family’s role in Philippine politics is not new, nor is their knack for controversy. In 1986, after the EDSA People Power Revolution ousted Marcos Sr., the family fled to Hawaii, where four Republican senators visited the exiled president at his Makiki Heights residence. They delivered a stinging rebuke: Marcos Sr.’s presidency might have been saved had his brother-in-law, Ambassador Benjamin “Kokoy” Romualdez—Speaker Martin’s father—prioritized diplomacy over personal business. The senators revealed that Kokoy, then ambassador to the United States, ignored their calls, leaving Washington’s support for Marcos Sr. to crumble. Heartbroken and enraged, Marcos Sr. banned Kokoy from his home until his death in 1989, a betrayal that cut deep.

Yet history seems to repeat itself. Marcos Jr., now president, clings tightly to his cousins—Speaker Martin Romualdez and Ambassador Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez—who were instrumental in pushing him to run in 2022. Their influence, from orchestrating the Uniteam alliance to consolidating power through Lakas-CMD, has made them enablers of Marcos Jr.’s presidency. But at what cost? Martin Romualdez’s leadership is marred by allegations of corruption, from P241 billion in illegal budget insertions in 2025 to the Ayuda scandal, while Babe Romualdez’s diplomatic tenure raises questions about loyalty to Philippine interests over family agendas. Marcos Jr.’s embrace of his cousins ignores his father’s bitter lesson, risking a similar fate.

The 200 lawmakers, enriched by Ayuda funds, and Romualdez’s unqualified cousin overseeing billions, reflect a system where power and wealth trump accountability. Senator Imee Marcos’s warning that the Araneta-Romualdez clan is “running the show” rings true, yet Marcos Jr. remains blind to the parallels with 1986. The COA must shed its timidity and investigate the Ayuda disbursements, exposing any commissions or double payments. Filipinos cannot afford another era of unchecked greed. As the 20th Congress looms, Marcos Jr. must heed his father’s heartbreak and curb his cousins’ influence—or history may indeed repeat itself, with the nation paying the price.

(TAMBULI NG BAYAN-Ronnie Estrada) #PhilippinePolitics #MartinRomualdez #ayuda #MarcosJr #PBBMLegacy #IndaySarah #baberomualdez #ImeeMarcos