The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Former House Speaker and incumbent Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was arrested Monday after the Office of the Ombudsman accused him and former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co of receiving at least ₱7.44 billion in alleged kickbacks from government-funded projects between 2022 and 2025.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed Romualdez’s arrest at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, where the lawmaker was confined after suffering what doctors described as a cardiovascular event.
Remulla said Romualdez’s blood pressure had become unstable and that he was also experiencing an anxiety attack.
The arrest came only hours after the Ombudsman filed a plunder case before the Sandiganbayan against Romualdez, Co and two other individuals. The antigraft court’s Third Division, which will hear the case, subsequently issued arrest warrants as well as a hold departure order against the accused.
According to the charge sheet, Romualdez and Co allegedly received commissions, percentages, kickbacks, financial commitments and other monetary benefits on at least 15 occasions.
The alleged payments were purportedly sourced from contractors and other individuals or entities involved in flood control, infrastructure and other government projects financed through the national budgets for fiscal years 2022 through 2025.
Prosecutors further alleged that the money was concealed and processed through shell or dummy corporations and other conduits in an effort to launder the proceeds.
Also named as accused were Jocelyn Sereño, identified as a member of Romualdez’s staff, and Felicito Guevarra, described in the case information as president of a money changer corporation. The specific allegations against the two were not immediately clear from the information available.
Romualdez’s legal team has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow him to remain hospitalized while under arrest.
In their motion, his lawyers cited his documented cardiac history, diabetes, primary hypothyroidism and other medical conditions as the basis for requesting continued confinement at the hospital.
The defense stressed that the request should not be interpreted as an attempt to avoid arrest or judicial custody.
Romualdez, through his lawyers, said he was prepared to comply with custody requirements, court appearances, security restrictions and any eventual transfer to a detention facility ordered by the Sandiganbayan. His lawyers also offered to have his medical condition independently assessed by government or court-designated physicians.
The Sandiganbayan said the issuance of the arrest warrants followed its personal evaluation of the records submitted in the case and its finding of probable cause to believe that the accused committed the offenses charged.
Romualdez’s lawyer and spokesperson, Ade Fajardo, said the former Speaker respects the courts and the legal process and intends to confront the allegations through the proper judicial proceedings.
Fajardo acknowledged the intense public interest in the case but emphasized that criminal liability must ultimately be determined based on evidence presented in court.
“Truth, evidence, and a fair process should prevail,” the lawyer said, stressing that Romualdez was seeking no special treatment and only the due process and fair hearing guaranteed under the law.
The case now moves to the Sandiganbayan, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations against Romualdez, Co and their coaccused beyond the issuance of the arrest warrants and the finding of probable cause.