MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered former House speaker Martin Romualdez and his co-respondents to answer the recommendation of its special investigators to file plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering complaints against them.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Tuesday, July 28, that Romualdez and the other respondents have 15 days from receipt of the order to submit their counter-affidavits.
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“I can confirm that an order to file counter-affidavit has been issued by the preliminary investigation team to former Speaker of the House, Martin Romualdez, as well as the rest of the respondents,” Clavano told reporters in a message.
“When all parties have submitted, the case will be submitted for resolution,” he added.
Investigation process. On July 24, Ombudsman special investigators recommended the filing of plunder, graft, bribery and money laundering complaints against Romualdez, fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co and several others.
The recommendation is tied to allegations that they unlawfully amassed around P56 billion in ill-gotten wealth from 2022 to 2025.
The investigating panel said the alleged scheme involved a series of “interrelated transactions involving the diversion and misuse of public funds and the receipt of undue pecuniary benefits in connection with government dealings.”
The order to file counter-affidavits is part of the preliminary investigation process and does not by itself mean that charges have been filed in court.
‘No favor asked, none given.' The Ombudsman’s statement came after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. opened his State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27, by referring to the looming filing of multiple cases against a former speaker.
Marcos did not name Romualdez in his speech, but said the move was painful for him and that his duty was to the Filipino people, not to his family or friends.
Clavano said the Ombudsman is free to carry out its mandate to “follow the evidence wherever it leads, including to those closest to the President himself.”
“This is how accountability is meant to function: no favor asked, none given. The Office of the Ombudsman will press forward steadily, fairly and without fear or favor, for as long as the evidence and the law will allow,” Clavano said.