Ombudsman asks Sandiganbayan to block Romualdez travel
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to issue a preliminary hold departure order against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Ombudsman filed the request before the anti-graft court on Tuesday, April 21. The order, once issued, effectively prevent Romualdez, first cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, from leaving the country.
In a message to reporters, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said that while the cases are pending before the Office of the Ombudsman, the teams "find it necessary to seek this remedy so as not to jeopardize the cases."
"They do not want the respondent to abscond and evade office processes," Clavano said.
The Ombudsman's request came after the House of Representatives allowed Romualdez to travel to Singapore for a medical checkup on April 20.
According to the clearance, he is expected to be in Singapore until May 4.
"This clearance is issued predicated upon the Honorable Representative's commitment to return to the Philippines forthwith following his medical procedure. It is understood that the Representative shall maintain accessibility for any urgent official functions or legal proceedings during his absence," the travel clearance for Romualdez read.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, however, said on April 21 that the office did not allow the former speaker to travel due to the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order issued against him.
Without a travel ban from the court, Romualdez can still leave the country, as lookout bulletins only alert authorities to a person's movement when passing through immigration checkpoints.
According to the Ombudsman's request to the anti-graft court, Romualdez is implicated in the "crimes of plunder, direct bribery, violations of Sections 3(a) and 3(b) of Republic Act No. 3019, indirect bribery and money laundering" in connection with an alleged kickback scheme involving allegedly anomalous flood control projects.
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